U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is seen on a TV monitor as he participates in a filibuster on the Senate floor March 6, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Paul is filibustering the Senate to oppose the nomination of John Brennan to be the next director of CIA. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Call it Rand's Stand: a nearly 13-hour filibuster on the Senate floor that is thrusting a tea party hero back into the national spotlight.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's Wednesday night filibuster of President Barack Obama's pick for CIA director drew comparisons to the movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." Paul, the son of former Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul, repeatedly demanded assurances that the administration would not use drones in the United States to kill terrorism suspects who are U.S. citizens. He got that assurance on Thursday.
Paul is a freshman senator who challenged the Republican party's establishment to win his seat in 2010 and now commands attention as a defender of limited government.
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