Arizona’s elderly Senator John McCain angered many of his constituents on Thursday when attacked the young Senator Rand Paul for his 13-hour filibuster which delayed a vote on CIA director nominee John Brennan. While Brennan went on to win the spot as director, Paul celebrated his success in taking on Attorney General Eric holder.
McCain, who is notorious among Republicans for being irritable and establishment, condemned the efforts of Paul to secure an answer to a simple question; can the president use a drone to kill a noncombatant American on U.S. soil?
Paul had demanded the administration clarify the government’s authority to kill Americans on U.S. soil. Paul’s filibuster ended past midnight early Thursday morning. The Senate voted, 63-34, to confirm Brennan later Thursday afternoon.
“Hooray!” Paul responded when the letter Holder sent to Paul was read to him for the first time during an interview with Fox News. “For 13 hours yesterday, we asked him that question, so there is a result and a victory. Under duress and under public humiliation, the White House will respond and do the right thing.”
The letter read: “It has come to my attention that you have now asked an additional question: ‘Does the President have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?’ The answer to that question is no.”
Paul said he was “proud to announce that the president is not going to kill unarmed Americans on American soil.”
“McCranky,” as McCain is known as in some parts of Arizona, scolded the young senator later saying that he should “know better” than to raised concerns about drone missile attacks on Americans. However, many Arizona’s had supported Paul’s effort due to concerns about the use of drones along the border.
Paul had the support of senators from both sides of the aisle who joined him on the floor Wednesday. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle started pushing legislation to rein in the drone program. Ted Poe, R-Texas, and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., introduced a bill to regulate domestic drones much like the government regulates wiretaps. “As we enter this uncharted world of drone technology, Congress must be proactive and establish boundaries for drone use that safeguard the constitutional rights of Americans,” Poe said in a statement last month.