Rand Paul Ends Historic Filibuster After Nearly 13 Hours. But He Finally Gets The Elusive Answer From Eric Holder

Filed under: bureaucracy, Freedom, Fundamental Rights, Government, History, Politics, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Rule Of Law, Secrecy, Special Interests, The American Constitution, Unethical, Unmanned Drones — 1 Comment

March 7, 2013

Grace Wyler and Brett LoGiurato | Mar. 6, 2013, 11:46 PM

Senator Rand Paul took over the Senate floor for nearly 13 hours Wednesday with an old-fashioned talk-till-you-drop filibuster, railing against the Obama administration’s drone policy and holding up a vote on John Brennan’s confirmation as CIA director.

“I will speak until I can no longer speak,” Paul began at 11:47 a.m. Wednesday.

He didn’t end until 12:39 a.m. Thursday, when he closed his marathon speech to thunderous applause.

“I would go for another 12 hours to try to break Strom Thurmond’s record, but I’ve discovered that there are some limits to filibustering and I’m going to have to go take care of one of those in a few minutes here,” Paul quipped.

Although Paul’s filibuster was technically against Brennan’s nomination, his remarks focused primarily on civil liberties issues, offering a scathing critique of the Obama’s administration’s use of unmanned drones, and refusal to rule out military strikes against American citizens on U.S. soil.

“When I asked the president, can you kill an American on American soil, it should have been an easy answer. It’s an easy question. It should have been a resounding an unequivocal, ‘No,'” Paul said. “The president’s response? He hasn’t killed anyone yet. We’re supposed to be comforted by that.”

Later, Paul warned about the ambiguity over who could be targeted by drones, suggesting that they could have been used against Vietnam War protesters in the 1960s.

“Are you going to just drop a hellfire missile on Jane Fonda?” Paul asked. “Are you going to drop a missile on Kent State?”

Over the course of the day, Paul’s filibuster became a hotspot for up-and-coming Republicans, with a parade of conservative Senators — including Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) – taking the floor to support Paul and relieve him of the podium.

“You’re standing here like a modern-day ‘Mr. Smith Goes To Washington,'” Cruz told Paul admiringly as he began his first question of the day. “You must surely be making Jimmy Stewart smile.”

CSPAN

In subsequent appearances, Cruz honored the Alamo, recited Shakespeare, and twice cheered up the fading Kentucky Senator with supportive tweets from the outside world (electronic devices are not allowed on the floor).

“You da man. That would be ‘d-a-m-a-n,'” Cruz said, reading off one of the tweets.

Not to be out done, Rubio made two trips to the Senate floor, advising Paul to “drink water” and quoting liberally from rappers Wiz Khalifa and Jay-Z and “The Godfather.”

Read Full Aticle Here

……

Attorney General Sends Brief And Snarky Letter To Rand Paul

……Hearing the letter for the first time on Fox News Thursday, Paul said that the answer satisfies his question.

“HOO-ray!” Paul said, adding that Holder capitulated “under duress.”

During his 13-hour filibuster Wednesday, Paul claimed he would block Brennan’s nomination until the White House answered his question about whether the U.S. could authorize a military strike against U.S. targets…….