Politico reports: “The recent dribble of information about the Obama administration’s armed drone policy does not appear to have done much to satisfy Republicans or Democrats in the Senate.

“Attorney General Eric Holder was grilled Wednesday over the policy, a day after the release of a letter in which Holder refused to rule out a military-style strike on terrorist suspects in the United States even if they were American citizens.

“The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing ended just as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who requested answers from the administration and released the letter, went to the Senate floor to announce he was attempting to filibuster the confirmation of John Brennan to be CIA director because he wanted more information on the policy.” Live video of the filibuster is on C-SPAN. He is now getting help from other senators.

MIKE GRAVEL, [email]
Gravel is a former two-term senator from Alaska; his books include A Political Odyssey: The Rise of American Militarism and One Man’s Fight to Stop It. Gravel used the filibuster in 1971 to end the draft. He said of Rand Paul’s filibuster: “This is an excellent use of the filibuster: to stop the excesses of government. It’s a classic use of it. And people who call for an end to the filibuster need to see that it can be used for good.” See his comments on the filibuster in this Institute for Public Accuracy news release.

ANN WRIGHT [email]
Wright is a former State Department diplomat and retired Army colonel. She was at the Holder hearing today and said: “Attorney General Holder is protecting the Obama assassin drone program just as Attorney General Gonzalez protected the Bush administration torture program. Both Attorneys General protected criminal policies — immoral, illegal and wrong.” Last year she wrote the piece “America’s Drones Are Homeward Bound.”

BRUCE FEIN, [email]
Fein was deputy attorney general under President Ronald Reagan and is author of Constitutional Peril: The Life and Death Struggle for Our Constitution and Democracy. He said today: “President Obama exercises frightening, limitless tyrannical power by playing prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner to kill American citizens or any individual on the planet based on his secret say-so alone. Obama usurps the constitutional power of Congress to authorize the initiation of war over Libya, Pakistan, Yemen or otherwise. By indiscriminately intercepting our electronic communications without judicial warrants or probable cause, Obama flouts the Fourth Amendment right to be left alone from government snooping. Obama’s vandalizing of the Constitution betters the instruction of President Richard Nixon, which fueled his impeachment and resignation in disgrace.” He wrote the piece “Predator Drones: Bin Laden’s Best Friends.”