http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/7/rand-pauls-filibuster-highlights-split-in-gop-rank/?page=all#pagebreak
Rand Paul’s filibuster highlights split in GOP ranks;
defense hawks not amused
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The Washington Times
Thursday, March 7, 2013
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The
fight over the Obama administration’s use of drones exposed
deepening divisions within Republican ranks between the libertarian-leaning and
defense-minded wings of the party over national security.
The
long-simmering battle exploded onto the Senate floor
this week when Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham bashed fellow Sen. Rand Paul for filibustering the nomination of John O. Brennen to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency until the Obama administration assured the Kentucky
Republican that it would not use drones to kill American citizens on U.S. soil.
“You
are starting to see a bit of a split between the libertarian-leaning lawmakers
and essentially what you see as defense hawks,” said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist. “We
are a war-weary nation. While the GOP is still seen as the national defense party, what you are seeing is
a rising trend of libertarianism.
“You
are also seeing the Republican Party reset on where it is on
national security. Essentially what the libertarians are saying is, ‘Hey, we
have to be more careful about the future because we’ve just been through 10
years of war here.’ The defense hawks are saying, ‘National security trumps all
and we have to be ready at all times.’”
Mr. McCain, Arizona Republican, said Mr. Paul does not know what he is talking about when
it comes to the drone program and suggested that he has done a “disservice to
some Americans by making them believe that somehow they’re in danger from their
government.”
“The
country needs more senators that care about liberty, but if Mr. Paul wants to be taken seriously he needs to do
more than pull political stunts that fire up impressionable libertarians in
their college dorms,” Mr. McCain said.
Almost
24 hours earlier, Mr. Paul kicked off his old-fashioned filibuster of
the Brennan nomination, threatening to block the confirmation vote
until Mr. Obama clarified whether the administration believed it had the legal
right to use drones to kill U.S. citizens accused of being linked to terrorist
without due process of the law.
“I
will speak today until the president responds and says no, we won’t kill
Americans in cafes; no, we won’t kill you at home in your bed at night; no, we
won’t drop bombs on restaurants. Is that so hard?” Mr. Paul said.
Mr.
Paul, a possible 2016 presidential candidate, provided a glimpse
into his libertarian brand of Republicanism,
talking about his effort to end the war in Iraq while
warning about the importance of ensuring the war in Afghanistan has boundaries and encouraging
Americans to safeguard their constitutional rights.
“Are
we so afraid of terrorism and so afraid of terrorists that we are willing to
just throw out our rights and our freedoms and what we have fought for and have
gotten over the centuries?” Mr. Paul said.
Along
the way, Mr. Paul got a little help from some
friends, as a dozen other senators, including several tea party members, came
to the floor to give him breaks from talking. Senate Minority
Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, also
showed up and showered Mr. Paul’s effort with praise.
Mr. Paul also alluded to the 2011 fight over the
Defense Authorization Act, which civil liberties group said allowed the U.S. military to detain American citizens
indefinitely — where Mr. Graham said that when American
citizens who align themselves with al
Qaeda ask for an attorney, the answer is “Shut up. You don’t
get a lawyer.”
“Is
that the kind of due process we want in our country?” Mr. Paul said. “Is that what we’re moving towards? So
the questions we’re asking here are important questions. And these questions
are: Does the bill
of rights apply? Can they have exceptions to the bill of
rights?”
Mr. Graham fired back by saying he was
disappointed with his party for “no longer thinking we are at war” and casting Mr. Paul as a loner.
“Not Sen. Paul — he has a man to himself,” Mr. Graham said. “He has a view. I don’t
think it’s a Republican view. I think it is a legitimately held libertarian
view.”
Mr. Graham also said the Obama administration should ignore Mr. Paul’s request for additional information. “I do not
believe that question deserves an answer,” Mr. Graham said.
Attorney
General Eric H. Holder Jr., though, sent Mr. Paul a response a few hours later, saying Mr.
Obama does not have the power to unilaterally approve drone strikes against
Americans — paving the way for the Senate confirmation
of Mr. Brennan.
Rep.
Louie Gohmert, Texas Republican, applauded Mr. Paul’s effort. “It forced the White House’s hand,” Mr.
Gohmert said. “They had to respond. They had to take a position.”
The
back-and-forth highlighted a debate within the Republican Party that pits the old guard
— whose fingerprints are all over the nation’s military efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya — against some of
the Republican Party’s rising stars, several of
whom rode into Congress as part of the backlash against growth of government
and federal spending that started under President George W. Bush and continued
on Mr. Obama’s watch.
“There
was definitely a trend there among the newer members,” said Sen.
Mike Lee, Utah Republican. “Those who have been elected to the Senate,
or the election before that, we tend to have this viewpoint in common. The view
that we need to look out for individual liberties of Americans we ought not
just take it for granted that our government is going to behave responsibility
and respect both the privacy and the lives of Americans.”
Asked
about the response from Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham, Mr.
Lee gave them a pass.
“Everyone
is entitled to a mulligan now and then, and I am willing to give it them,” he
said.
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