Rand Paul
Opinion
The Washington Post
3/8/2013
If I had planned to speak for 13 hours when I took the Senate floor Wednesday, I would’ve worn more comfortable shoes. I started my filibuster with the words, “I rise today to begin to filibuster John Brennan’s nomination for the CIA. I will speak until I can no longer speak” — and I meant it.
I wanted to sound an alarm bell from coast to coast. I wanted everybody to know that our Constitution is precious and that no American should be killed by a drone without first being charged with a crime. As Americans, we have fought long and hard for the Bill of Rights. The idea that no person shall be held without due process, and that no person shall be held for a capital offense without being indicted, is a founding American principle and a basic right.
My official starting time was 11:47 a.m. on Wednesday, March 6, 2013…
…At about 6:30 p.m., something extraordinary happened. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who has been recovering from a stroke, came to the floor to give me something. I was not allowed to drink anything but water or eat anything but the candy left in our Senate desks. But he brought me an apple and a thermos full of tea — the same sustenance Jimmy Stewart brought to the Senate floor in the movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” That was a moment I will never forget…
…something unexpected happened. House conservatives started appearing in the back of the chamber to show their support. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.), who stayed for five hours, offered me his boots when I complained that I had not worn my most comfortable shoes. My good friend Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky came over. And then came the conservative cavalry of Reps. Justin Amash (Mich.), Ron DeSantis (Fla.), Doug LaMalfa (Calif.), Garland “Andy” Barr (Ky.), Trey Radel (Fla.), Michael Burgess (Tex.), Jim Bridenstine (Okla.), Raul R. Labrador (Idaho), Keith Rothfus (Pa.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Steve Daines (Mont.), Bill Huizenga (Mich.), Richard Hudson (N.C.) and David Schweikert (Ariz.)…
…The Senate has the power to restrain the executive branch — and my filibuster was the beginning of the fight to restore a healthy balance of powers…
…I believe the support I received this past week shows that Americans are looking for someone to really stand up and fight for them. And I’m prepared to do just that.
Read the complete editorial at The Washington Post.
Also at the site, Rand Paul’s filibuster: An old tactic packs new power in digital age
Related: Here’s everything that’s wrong with the Republican Party in one sentence: Graham Votes for Brennan, Despite Promises on Benghazi, Because of Paul Filibuster.
“I was going to vote against him until the filibuster, so he picked up one vote,” Graham said, laughing to reporters in the Capitol.
Really? A rigorous defense of the Constitution is that offensive to you?
Glenn Beck: The New Guard: Rising leaders bring Constitution new life
…“I think the Constitution may have taken a gasp last night and it may not have been its last gasp,” Glenn concluded. “But last night you could see it. The Constitution went… (gasping) because somebody gave it air.”
Rand Paul Confirms It: There Is Always Hope
Courageous Tea Party Senator Rand Paul confirmed my statement that no one can foresee the future well enough to be totally fatalistic.
Update: Rand Paul and Osama bin Laden’s Spokesman
…By bringing this terrorist onto American soil and charging him in federal court, the full range of protections in the Bill of Rights applies. Abu Ghaith must now be presumed innocent. The government is bound by the tremendous restrictions of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Federal Rules of Evidence…
Corrected
