Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s filibuster to block John Brennan’s nomination for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency on Wednesday ultimately transformed into a fight for Americans’ civil liberties as Paul held Obama’s feet to the fire on the constitutionality of the drone program.
Fourteen of Paul’s fellow Republican Senators rallied behind him and even two Democratic Senators, Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), were brave enough to join in on the fight.
These are the 30 GOP Senators who stood on the sidelines instead.
John McCain, Arizona
Lamar Alexander, Tennessee
Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire
Roy Blunt, Missouri
John Boozman, Arkansas
Richard Burr, North Carolina
Daniel Coats, Indiana
Tom Coburn, Oklahoma
Thad Cochran, Mississippi
Susan Collins, Maine
Bob Corker, Tennessee
Mike Crapo, Idaho
Michael Enzi, Wyoming
Deb Fischer, Nebraska
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
Chuck Grassley, Iowa
Orrin Hatch, Utah
Dean Heller, Nevada
John Hoeven, North Dakota
James Inhofe, Oklahoma
Johnny Isakson, Georgia
Mike Johanns, Nebraska
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
Rob Portman, Ohio
James Risch, Idaho
Pat Roberts, Kansas
Jeff Sessions, Alabama
Richard Shelby, Alabama
David Vitter, Louisiana
Roger Wicker, Mississippi
*Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois was physically unable to stand with Senator Paul, due to a recent stroke he endured. But the Republican Senator was present on the floor of the Senate and managed to bring Senator Paul a thermos of hot tea and an apple, likely a cultural reference to the sustenance that actor Jimmy Stewart enjoyed during the filibuster scene in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”
