Paul ends filibuster

Kentucky Republican Rand Paul took the floor of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday (March 6) and spoke for nearly 13 hours in an attempt to block the confirmation of John Brennan as President Barack Obama's next CIA director in a protest of the administration's policy of using drones in targeted killings.

Paul began shortly before noon in a rare old-fashioned filibuster - in which a senator speaks until he can continue no longer - yielding the floor shortly before 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT) on Thursday.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) US REPUBLICAN SENATOR PAUL RAND SAYING:

"And I would go for another twelve hours to try to break Strom Thurmond's record but I've discovered that there are some limits to filibustering, and I am going to have to go take care of one of those in a few minutes here."

Paul's action did not keep the Senate from voting on whether Brennan, Obama's counter-terrorism advisor, should lead the U.S. spy agency, but he delayed it until at least Thursday.

Afte