It is really hard to take that seriously when the CIA was instrumental in overthrowing Leftist governments in Central and South America throughout the 1970s and

It is really hard to take that seriously when the CIA was instrumental in overthrowing Leftist governments in Central and South America throughout the 1970s and 1980s. A CIA that was as deep in Operation Condor or the School of the Americas as they were could not be described as a "small, elite, independent, civilian, and nonpartisan foreign intelligence service". This seemed to change long before 9/11.