March 7, 2013

NEWSMAX
Senator Uses Old-style Filibuster on CIA Nominee
by the Associated Press
March 7, 2013

A Republican senator and tea party favorite from Kentucky used an old-style filibuster lasting nearly 13 hours to take control of the chamber and block Senate confirmation of John Brennan's nomination to be CIA director.

Sen. Rand Paul ended his filibuster Thursday shortly after midnight, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, also a Kentucky Republican, said he would continue to oppose Brennan's confirmation and resist ending the debate on President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the spy agency.

Paul's performance, which centered on questions about the possible use of drones against targets in the United States, clearly energized a number of his GOP colleagues, who came to the floor in a show of support and to share in the speaking duties. And even as the night progressed, Paul appeared invigorated despite being on his feet for so long. Actual talking filibusters have become rare in the Senate, where the rules are typically used in procedural ways to block the other party's agenda.

After Paul yielded the floor, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., filed a motion to cut off debate on Brennan's nomination, setting up a vote for later this week.

Paul, a critic of Obama's drone policy, started just before noon Wednesday by demanding the president or Attorney General Eric Holder issue a statement assuring that the aircraft would not be used in the United States to kill terrorism suspects who are U.S. citizens. But by the time he left the Senate floor, Paul said he'd received no response.

Paul wasn't picky about the format, saying at one point he'd be happy with a telegram or a Tweet. Paul said he recognized he can't stop Brennan from being confirmed. But the nomination was the right vehicle for a debate over what the Obama White House believes are the limits of the federal government's ability to conduct lethal operations against suspected terrorists, he said.

"No president has the right to say he is judge, jury and executioner," Paul said.

The Obama administration has said it has not conducted such operations inside U.S. borders nor does it intend to. Paul and backers said that wasn't good enough. They wanted the White House to rule out the possibility of them happening altogether.

About a dozen of Paul's colleagues who share his conservative views came to the floor to take turns speaking for him and trading questions. McConnell congratulated Paul for his "tenacity and for his conviction," and he called Brennan a "controversial nominee."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, read Twitter messages from people eager to "Stand With Rand." The Twitterverse, said Cruz, is "blowing up." And as the night went on, Cruz spoke for longer periods as Paul leaned against a desk across the floor. Cruz, an insurgent Republican with strong tea party backing, read passages from Shakespeare's "Henry V" and lines from the 1970 movie "Patton," starring George C. Scott.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., made references to rappers Jay-Z and Wiz Khalifa. Rubio, a possible GOP presidential candidate in 2016, chided the White House for failing to respond to Paul. "It's not a Republican question. It's not a conservative question," Rubio said. "It's a constitutional question."

Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and red tie, Paul read from notebooks filled with articles about the expanded use of the unmanned weapons that have become the centerpiece of the Obama administration's campaign against al-Qaida suspects overseas. As he moved about the Senate floor, aides brought him glasses of water, which he barely touched. Senate rules say a senator has to remain on the floor to continue to hold it, even though he can yield to another senator for a question

Read more: http://goo.gl/HY1TI

THE DAILY CALLER
Jon Stewart voices support for Rand Paul filibuster: ‘Holy Howard Roark’s ghost’
by Jeff Poor
March 7, 2013

As Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s filibuster of the nomination of John Brennan to be CIA director wound late into the night, he got the support of one unlikely media personality: Comedy Central “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart.

“Holy Howard Roark’s ghost — it looks like we got us a good old fashion actual talkie filibuster,” Stewart said. “The kind our grandparents tried to tell us about but never got through, because we were too busy playing jacks and tiddlywinks with our friends waiting for our turn to freebase in the shed. Ah, the ‘70s or ‘50s, or whatever timeframe I appear to be.”

“Rand Paul had sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking just a simple question: Can the president use a drone to take out an American citizen on U.S. soil?” Stewart continued. “You would think he would get a letter back like, ‘No, way.’ Holder writes him back a letter that never directingly addressing the question kind of, sort of implied that hypothetically in the right — yes, yes, we can do that. We can do that probably won’t, but yes. So, Sen. Rand Paul to draw attention to the issue of the execution of executive executions executed the classical old school filibuster. I mean he’s out there talking. This isn’t one of those — he’s using the filibuster the way it’s meant to be used.”

“[I] can’t say I agree with Rand Paul about everything,” Stewart added. “But as issues go, drone oversight is one certainly worth kicking up a fuss for.”

Read more: http://goo.gl/G2lRA


THE BLAZE
Liberal Actor on GOP-Led Filibuster Over Drones: ‘For God’s Sake, Where Are Democrats?’
by Jason Howerton
March 7, 2013

Actor John Cusack describes himself as a progressive, but he has been a critic of the federal government’s drone program regardless of who has been is in office. Frankly, he has also be a pretty harsh critic of President Barack Obama as well.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and other GOP senators on Wednesday conducted an old-school filibuster on the Senate floor to block John Brennan’s nomination and bring attention to the potential for drone strikes on U.S. soil. As the hours went by, Cusack was curious to know: “where are Democrats?”

when ukill innocent people without trial - i mprison them with no trial what would u call it?-used bush powers & exanded them@lisellecae

— John Cusack (@johncusack) March 6, 2013

For gods sake where are democrats ?? “@democracynow: Rand Paul: Obama Admin Response Drones "More Than Frightening" owl.li/itdHI”
— John Cusack (@johncusack) March 6, 2013

dems ? Do U have any thoughts on Obama's transition from a progressive academic humanist 2 a regressive corporate warlord?
— John Cusack (@johncusack) March 6, 2013

Read more: http://goo.gl/T668d