Mediaboss Marketing

Rand Paul took another stand against U.S. drone policy on Wednesday albeit a much shorter one than his nearly 13-hour talking filibuster in 2013.

The Kentucky senator grabbed the Senate floor shortly before 10 a.m. in opposition to David Barron, President Barack Obamas choice for a U.S. Court of Appeals who authored a controversial legal memo that underpins policies that led to the 2011 killing of U.S. citizen and al Qaeda official Anwar Al Awlaki.

Paul spoke for about a half an hour Wednesday morning, returning to the floor later to formally request a delay on a procedural vote on Barron, which is set at about 2 p.m. Democrats rejected the request, though Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a fellow civil libertarian, praised the GOP senator for his intellectual rigor on the issue.

(Also on POLITICO:White House to reveal drone memo)

The Kentucky Republican said he would oppose the nomination of Barron whether it came from Obama or from a GOP president and urged Democrats to imagine how they would feel if Barron was a Republican nominee rather than from a member of their own party.

David Barron has written a defense of executions of American citizens not involved in combat. Make no mistake, these memos do not limit drone executions to one man. These memos become historic precedent for killing Americans abroad, Paul said Wednesday. Barron did not write or cite any legal case to justify killing an American without a trial, because no such legal precedent exists. It has never been adjudicated. No court has ever look at this. There has been no public debate because it has been held secret from the American people.

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that Barrons nomination will probably be OK and win eventual approval from the Senate, where most presidential nominations now need just 51 votes after a precedent-setting rules change in November gutted the Senate minoritys filibuster powers.

(Also on POLITICO:Harry Reid optimistic on David Barron)

Paul began his Wednesday speech much as he did his lengthy Stand with Rand filibuster of CIA Director John Brennans nomination last March, but the conservative lawmakers impact is hamstrung by both new Senate rules and a previously agreed-to voting schedule. Barron now needs only 51 votes Brennan needed 60 and Democrats and Republicans have already locked in a procedural vote on Barron for Wednesday, with a final vote Thursday.

Even though Paul cannot halt or delay the nomination of Barron, he and liberal Democrats had a major role in the debate, prodding the administration to release classified legal memos to senators and even agreeing to release redacted portions to the public. Some Democrats with civil libertarian leanings appeared to be reassured by those steps, but they certainly arent enough for Paul, who dusted off his #StandwithRand hashtag to encourage support for his position.

View original post here:
Barron leads to shorter Rand stand