After holding forth on the Senate floor for almost 13 hours, Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul ended a "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"-style filibuster of the president's pick to lead the CIA at around 1 a.m., NBC News reported. Paul cited objections to the administration's murky policy regarding potential drone attacks on U.S. citizens, saying, "No president has the right to say he is judge, jury and executioner." Although it started as a one-man stand, the filibuster gained momentum, both in the Senate chamber and on social media. The senator was joined on the floor throughout the day and night by other lawmakers, who stepped in to help continue the filibuster by asking lengthy questions. In the end, the need for a bathroom break put a stop to the stand. "I've discovered that there are some limits to filibustering, and I am going to have to take care of one of those in a few minutes here," Paul said. He acknowledged that his filibuster wouldn't prevent Brennan's nomination.
