Deputy Director: CIA Not 'Dysfunctional'

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON -- Countering severe criticism of the CIA, the agency's departing deputy director called for an end to the "tirades and hyperbole" that he said are hampering constructive debate about needed intelligence reform.

"The time has come to turn down the temperature of the debate, to take a deep breath, and to get some balance and thoughtfulness into the discussion," John McLaughlin said in an op-ed piece in The Washington Post.

"Let's start by dispelling the myth that the CIA has become a 'dysfunctional' and 'rogue' agency," McLaughlin said, calling such statements "way out of line."

McLaughlin, a 32-year agency veteran, is leaving the CIA, announcing his resignation earlier this month and saying it was a "purely personal decision."

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-cia-response,0,5922808.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines