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Title: Sen. Paul holds floor for hours in filibuster of CIA nominee, over drone concerns
Source:
Fox News
URL Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201 ... a-nominee-over-drone-concerns/
Published: Mar 6, 2013
Author: Fox News
Post Date: 2013-03-06 15:44:36 by Refinersfire
Keywords: None
Views: 622
Comments: 43
Sen. Rand Paul launched into an old-fashioned filibuster on the Senate floor Wednesday as he tried to hold up the nomination of John Brennan for CIA director over concerns about the president’s authority to kill Americans with drones. Paul, R-Ky., is one of several lawmakers – on both sides of the aisle – who has raised concerns about the legal justification for launching drone strikes against Americans overseas. But Paul took to the floor after receiving a statement from Attorney General Eric Holder that creaked open the door to the possibility of using a drone to kill an American inside the United States. “To allow one man to accuse you in secret -- you never get notified you've been accused,” Paul said on the floor. “Your notification is the buzz of propellers on the drone as it flies overhead in the seconds before you're killed. Is that what we really want from our government?” Paul said he’d be raising the same complaints under a Republican president. “No one politician should be allowed to judge the guilt, to charge an individual, to judge the guilt of an individual and to execute an individual. It goes against everything that we fundamentally believe in our country,” he said. Paul, who started speaking shortly before noon, said he will filibuster the nomination “until I can no longer speak.” This kind of filibuster is rare – typically, senators “filibuster” by refusing to grant the majority the 60 votes needed to proceed to a final vote on certain bills. Paul, though, said he wanted to raise the “alarm” about the drone issue. He spoke after receiving letters from Holder on drone authority. In one letter, Holder said the U.S. has never carried out a drone strike against one of its citizens on American soil, and called a situation where such a strike may occur "entirely hypothetical" and "unlikely to occur." However, Holder did not entirely rule out that such a scenario may occur in the future, and indicated that such a strike would be legal under the Constitution. “It is possible, I suppose, to imagine an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary and appropriate under the Constitution and applicable laws of the United States for the president to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States," Holder said. Holder said "catastrophic" attacks such as the Sept. 11 attacks or the attack on Pearl Harbor are examples of circumstances where the president could conceivably feel such an action is necessary. Testifying on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Holder agreed that it would be unconstitutional to use a drone on American soil against a U.S. citizen and suspected terrorist who did not pose an imminent threat. Brennan has been a staunch supporter of the administration’s drone program. But, after members of the Senate Intelligence Committee extracted key documents on the program from the administration, the panel on Tuesday voted 12-3 to approve the nomination. Senate leaders were hoping to hold a floor vote on the nomination as early as Wednesday.
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#10. To: Refinersfire (#0)
I wonder if the little jug-eared-communist Halfrican is lying on the floor of the Oval Office kicking and screaming like the brat that he really is because he's not getting his way AND the Senate is slowly turning against him on this nomination?? Hehehehe......
We both know, he can't be happy about what Rand is doing and that it is getting out, he is doing it ;)
Sen Moran has taken the floor to give Sen Paul a much needed break
Sen Durbin took the floor to reject a Sense of Senate, that killing Americans without Due Process was Un-Constitutional, stating that while an important subject, it is one that needs to be taken up in a committee and invited Sen Paul to speak to the committee. Sen Paul expressed his sadness, that in a Sense of the Senate, the Democrat side could not join him to a truly symbolic undertaking.
Sen Cruz is reading Twitters in support of Sen Paul, giving Sen Paul a much needed break.
"The Constitution matters" - Sen Ted Cruz
"If you're in your hot tub in your backyard — just because we have the technology to see you in your hot tub, does mean we can watch you? ... That's something which has really been abused, and we need to fight growth of the surveillance state ... 'Do we want to live in a police state?' is basically what the question is." — Senator Rand Paul, who is currently filibustering until the President will disavow assassinating Americans on U.S. soil. Note: This quote was transcribed live and may not be 100% accurate. - Young Americans for Liberty
Senator Paul is reading from this article www.theatlantic.com/polit...nipulative-letter/273749/
#25. To: All (#24)
Sen. Rand Paul is reading from this article: www.wired.com/dangerroom/.../holder-targeted-killing/
that's interesting... lots of pearl harbor stuff, lots of mentions of 9/11 in that article... what is it calculated to do? appeal in a backhanded way to 9/11 truthers who know about the PNAC neocons and their need for "a new pearl harbor"? . i guess it wont make much difference once the police state comes out of the closet
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#12. To: X-15 (#10)
I wonder if the little jug-eared-communist Halfrican is lying on the floor of the Oval Office kicking and screaming like the brat that he really is because he's not getting his way AND the Senate is slowly turning against him on this nomination?? Hehehehe......
#13. To: All (#12)
#15. To: All (#13)
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#22. To: All (#18)
#24. To: All (#22)
Replies to Comment # 24.
#27. To: Refinersfire (#24)
(Edited)
Senator Paul is reading from this article www.theatlantic.com/polit...nipulative-letter/273749/
End Trace Mode for Comment # 24.