Rand Paul Launches His 'Filibuster' Against Patriot Act Renewal

At 1:18 p.m. on Wednesday, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul took to the Senate floor, interrupting a Senate debate on trade promotion with a speech against a "clean" renewal of the Patriot Act. Paul's speech did not actually threaten the timing of votes on that bill. Yet as he spoke to a nearly empty chamber—North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis and some pages listening quietly—he told Twitter followers that this was the filibuster he'd been promising for weeks.

Shortly after that, Paul dispatched an email to his donor list, pledging to "filibuster" until he got votes on a small number of amendments that would end bulk data collection and reform the process for National Security Letters, which allow the government to compel telephone companies, Internet service providers, libraries and other entities to turn over information on customers without alerting them. "I will not rest," Paul wrote. "I will not back down. I will not yield one inch in this fight so long as my legs can stand."