Rand Paul "amazed" by support for filibuster

The morning after spearheading an hours-long, old-fashioned congressional filibuster that lasted well into the night, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., expressed gratitude to his fellow lawmakers for their "outpouring of support," and continued pushing for increased access to information about the nation's controversial drone policy.

Paul, who held court on the Senate floor for nearly 13 hours without a single bathroom break, said he was "amazed" by the encouragement from his fellow Republican lawmakers - and even a stray Democrat.

"We probably had 15 congressmen come over to the Senate floor," he said this morning in a radio interview with Glenn Beck. Paul pointed out that House members are allowed to come to the Senate floor but are barred from speaking or coming forward, so they were presumably there just to lend support with their presence. "I've never seen that happen before. And they came spontaneously. Nobody called them. They just showed up."

• Rand Paul filibusters vote on CIA director nominee John Brennan over drones
• Rand Paul ends filibuster after almost 13 hours

Even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., whose efforts to schedule a confirmation vote for John Brennan to be CIA director were stymied by Paul's filibuster, had praise for the Kentucky senator.

"One thing I learned from my own experience with talking filibusters: To succeed, you need strong convictions but also a strong bladder. Senator Paul has both," Reid said on the Senate floor this morning.

Paul, a staunch libertarian with Tea Party leanings, was protesting Brennan's confirmation and has said that Brennan, Mr. Obama's top counterterrorism official, serves as a proxy for his larger case against the nation's controversial targeted killing policy, particularly the notion that the U.S. authorizes the use of military force against Americans on U.S. soil in some cases of "extraordinary circumstance."

"We may not all be on all the same page on drone strikes here there and hither and yon, but on American soil we came together and said, you know what, we're not going to do targeted strikes of people not engaged in combat in America," Paul said this morning, referring to the lawmakers who came out in support of him. Among those who showed up to the Senate floor Wednesday night was Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a staunch opponent of the drone policy.

Paul tried to explain this morning his broader argument about the potential dangers of authorizing a policy that he says could have wide-reaching consequences in the future.

"I try to make it less about President Obama and more about, what if someday we elect someone who wouldn't - who would abuse this power? And I think when you make it in those generic terms, people can be concerned with it," Paul said. "It's dangerous any time you use an example of Hitler, because everybody thinks you're over exaggerating, but Hitler was elected democratically, so democracies can make mistakes. And that's why you want the rule of law to restrain them and not let them do that."

Paul also noted that he and several members of his staff carry rifles around with them.

This morning, Reid said he filed cloture on Brennan's nomination, and that if unanimous consent cannot be reached, the Senate will weigh in on whether or not to proceed with a vote for his confirmation on Saturday morning. Paul says he will not agree to vote for cloture until he gets a statement from the Obama administration saying "that they're not going to target Americans who are not engaged in combat."

"I can make them stay here through Saturday and they hate to work on weekends," he quipped.

[mikem2k10]

I see a lot of comments on here bashing Paul. Either for being a "clown", attention seeking, holding up the committee vote, and lots of other personal attacks. Regardless of how you personally feel about Paul, can you at least get behind the idea that we shouldn't have American citizens on secret kill lists with virtually no oversight? Of course this isn't new, nor is the drone program, but this is an issue that has gotten little attention from either party. Do you really think this was a waste of time? This is probably one of the few examples of when it actually makes sense to filibuster. I'm personally saddened that we get so caught up in our political parties that we can't even come together on this. Again, I don't care what your opinion is of the messenger, do you at least agree with the message? Feels like we're going back to McCarthy days :\

[docroc67]

I agree completely. I've never liked Paul, but the drone program brings us an ominous step closer to a police state. As usual, the supporters of drones and drone strikes use terrorism as an excuse for this obscene abuse of power. It's bad enough killing people you can't see from the comfort of an armchair possibly thousands of miles away, but to do so against Americans here at home? It is NOT constitutional and it is not decent.

[BillThomas55]

"Feels like we're going back to McCarthy days"

Members of a Georgia militia group were arrested yesterday relating to their alleged plot to kill numerous government officials. According to the complaint, one of the arrested repeatedly cited as the source of their plan the novel Absolved, authored by Fox News expert Mike Vanderboegh, the former militia member famous for urging his blog readers to hurl bricks through the windows of Democratic offices.

In Vanderboegh's novel, which was self-published online, underground militia fighters declare war on the federal government over gun control laws and same-sex marriage, leading to a second American revolution. In the introduction to Absolved, Vanderboegh calls the book "a cautionary tale for the out-of-control gun cops of the ATF" and "a combination field manual, technical manual and call to arms for my beloved gunnies of the armed citizenry."

[BillThomas55]

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A former campaign worker for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul has agreed to serve probation and pay medical expenses in an assault on a liberal activist during the 2010 election.

Assistant Fayette County Attorney Jackie Alexander says 53-year-old Tim Profitt agreed to an Alford plea on Monday. It means he acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him in the assault but didn't admit guilt.

Video showed 23-year-old Lauren Valle being pulled down, her face pinned to the concrete and then stepped on. Valle was with the group MoveOn.org. It happened on Oct. 25 in Lexington outside the studio where the Republican Paul and Democrat Jack Conway debated.

[alphaa10000]

Rand Paul loves to soapbox about his understanding of the US constitution, while advertising his ignorance about the second amendment.

However, Rand Paul (for once) is correct about use of lethal drones over the US-- essentially, an opposition to punishment without due process. This is what drew the support of Ron Wyden, and should draw our support, as well.

While there is precedent for killing a suspect during apprehension, citizen or no, use of lethal drones and Hellfire missiles is literal overkill. The missile's warhead kills or maims everybody within a set radius, regardless of their status.

Use of drones for police and investigative work over this country is eagerly sponsored by the drone industry and its lobbies, and the usual coterie of "national security" experts who have no idea what they will set in motion. But George Orwell (Eric Blair) did, and wrote about it in his negative utopian classic, "1984".

[ichupichu]

It's great he actually filibustered instead of the usual threat and then nothing.

BUT, the issue here should be that once again republicans are denying an up and down vote on a cabinet position and extorting concessions out of Obama. Is this what governing is all about now? Why not have the president throw in another trillion in cutbacks, excluding the military or course, to complete the deal. This is disgraceful and should cost Rand Paul his seat.

[rsamps1]

The nutjob Paul is amazed by the "support" for the filibuster. Now Americans can actually see which Republicans are being obstinate and blocking the people's business, as opposed to hiding it in obscure committee voting. Republicans are bad for America, & Rand Paul is one of the worst.

[mikem2k10]

Can you please elaborate on how he's a "nutjob" and, specifically, why you believe questioning the government's authority to assassinate American citizens is not worth holding up a committee vote? Furthermore, "Republicans are bad for America" - really? Did you even listen to any of what Paul said about how this isn't a left vs. right issue? If we can't agree that the government can't kill Americans in the United States without a jury trial then these are definitely scary times. Please stop turning civil liberties issues such as these into partisan arguments. This is not a partisan issue.

[Doug504]

I applaud Rand Paul for conducting a real filibuster. I wish all filibusters required someone to actually stand up and talk.

However I disagree with his premise.

A drone is a weapon just like a tank, an M-16, flamethrower, mortar, a pistol, a smart bomb, a bayonet, fighter jet, or a nuclear bomb.

The President can't legally order any of those weapons to be used on a US citizen on US.
]
So why does Sen. Paul think a drone needs special rules?

[ichupichu]

It's typical republican politics. Do anything to possible to deflect the debate from the real issues. Do not give anything to Obama without extracting some kind of concession, including his cabinet positions. No respect, no quarter.

[docroc67]

Because a chilling percentage of Americans surveyed seems to think drones are OK in general and there has been substantive talk on when drones could be used inside the borders of the USA and against whom.

[arbayowling]

So this clown is amazed at the support he is getting for his tirade and attention getting antics, huh? Seems like it's the small things in life that this chit kicker from KTY is amazed with. Well, I guess he can now put on his record that he stood up to the President's choice for a CIA Director position by blathering rubbish for over 12 hours, this bozo was just grandstanding to get attention, he even lamented about wishing he could have beat Strom Thurmond's record. Oh yeah, did you check out his red tie, he cannot even apply his tie correctly, it hung around his testicles. What a joke and he wants to be President???? Better vote this idiot out of office sooner rather than later and do us all a BIG favor.

[wtfbbqsauce]

I suppose you don't want someone politically fighting for YOUR constitutional rights. Unless you find no problems with the government using drones to target American citizens WITHOUT due process.

[cobalt100]

Arbayowling: I couldn't agree with you at all on anything you said. If I agreed on even one point, why we both then would be wrong.

[-rt]

Drones are clearly part of a future that goes well beyond their present implementation. There is, in development, a vast array of drones and artificial intelligence technologies to empower drones. The real limitations on drones will come from government. Paul made a sound argument about drones as an existing and emerging technology. There is, in my view, a vast divide between killing with drones opposed to killing directly by a soldier. There is lack of accountability regarding drone killings of noncombatant Americans. I believe Paul raised relevant ethical attention to this important and emerging technology.

[Jahzera]

While I thought Rand Paul made some good points on the drone program it bears keeping in mind this program isn't new. In face it dates back to the Bush era.
I'm not sure I understand why a filibuster on an appointment was initiated now or why these demands to know more about the program weren't asked when it was first presented for passage in both houses of Congress.
What strikes ame as more odd yet is these Senators and Congressmen already have access to the very information their now demanding publically. They've always had access.
I understand they want a statement of intent from the White House but they've already gotten that. Not to mention the drone program is quite specific in its use when applied to use on American soil regarding American citizens. I remember the discussions that took place when this program was first presented and the same questions were asked. The difference is the answers were accepted and no pending appointments were filibustered.
It's not that the WH is expanding the powers of the sitting President. Those powers were already greatly expanded during the Bush years. An unprecidented expansion of power.

[ichupichu]

It's simple. Humiliate Obama at every turn. Reid should have changed the filibuster rules like he threatened. He was sorely mistaken if he thought republicans would show restraint if he just threatened.

This reminds me of the impeachment talk of Bush when it was proven he lied about Iraq and Nancy Pelosi made her statement taking impeachment off the table. Bush's reaction. The very next day he resubmitted 5 extremist judicial appointments that had been turned down.

Nothing has changed. In fact, it's gotten more so. The only way to change it is to vote republicans out of office in mass.

[Lloyd_Smith]

I'm amazed too. Amazed there's any electorate that's dumb enough to support this clown.
If Paul wants to walk his talk, he'd drop his government healthcare, his pension, his ridiculous salary (or at least all the increases since the last minimum wage increase), etc. etc.
He's a hypocritical slug who puts on a dog n' pony show for most ill-informed and uneducated of his base.

[sandy 1027]

Rand Paul's Jane Fonda example was a poor one.People demonstrate against governmental policies everyday in this country, and no one is trying to kill them for doing so.Furthermore, Jane Fonda's protests abroad during Vietnam are also different.She did not align herself with groups that had carried out attacks on U.S. soil( and were actively plotting more ) that killed thousands of Americans.The situation that confronts the country now is totally different.

[wtfbbqsauce]

Imagine what the government would have done at Kent State if they had drones since they had no problems gunning them down with small arms.