GOP Senators Quote Jay-Z, Shakespeare to Filibuster C.I.A. Pick

You may have noticed the twitter hashtag #StandWithRand trending late last night. Stand being the operative word. Yesterday, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul staged the longest, most draining, “talking filibuster” in recent history, to protest the confirmation of Obama’s C.I.A. chief John Brennan. Enraged over the administration’s recent acknowledgement that it claimed the legal authority to kill U.S. citizens on U.S. soil using drone strikes, Paul and several colleagues held the floor (preventing a vote) for more than 12 hours by saying whatever popped into their heads.

By nightfall, Paul’s effort had gained the support of more of his colleagues, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. They joined him on the floor and used up chunks of time with quotes from Ronald Reagan, Shakespeare, and in the case of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, “The Godfather” and rapper Jay-Z.

PA Senator Pat Toomey, ever the good solider, also spoke for a while, shortly before Paul gave up the fight at 12:39 a.m. this morning. Such principled filibusters are rarities, despite everyone’s natural inclination to emulate Jimmy Stewart in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” [Politico]