WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul won his filibuster war with the White House yesterday, obtaining a letter from Attorney General Eric Holder stating that President Obama doesn’t have the authority to use drones to kill American terror suspects on US soil.
Paul’s nearly 13-hour filibuster ended early yesterday with a demand for the statement.
“It’s taken a while, but we got an explicit answer,” Paul (R-Ky.) said. “To me, I think the entire battle was worthwhile.”
Republicans allowed a vote on making Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, the CIA director. The Senate voted, 63-34, to confirm Brennan. Paul voted against the nomination.
But the Kentucky Republican came under fire from veteran members of his own party for the filibuster.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) chastised the freshman for what they said was taking a serious discussion on US policy and turning it into what McCain called the “realm of the ridiculous.”
Paul answered the question on a lot of people’s minds over how he was able to hold the floor for 13 hours without going to the bathroom: “I didn’t drink very much water, and my feet were hurting most of the time.”
* Opinion, Editorial: In Opinion