But, of course, as we all know, if the Part 61 FAQ says it, it must be true.

In any case, it wouldn't be the first time the FAA came up with an absurd
interpretation of their own rules. At least this time it's in the pilot's
favor.

Like you, I disagree with some of what's in the FAQ. The big difference here
is that the explanation of the CFI medical issue was included in the Federal
Register when the new Part 61 was published. So it's not the usual
after-the-fact interpretation. Certainly they could have made this clearer by
restating it in the actual regulation.