Rand Paul Filibuster: 13 Hour Speech Draws Praise from Unlikely Sources, Support for 2016 Presidential Run (Full Video)

Kentucky's Republican Senator Rand Paul made headlines and won accolades from unlikely supporters on both the right and the left after a nearly 13-hour, old school filibuster of the confirmation of John Brennan to the post of CIA director, over the Obama administration's use of extrajudicial drone strikes to kill problematic American citizens.

Paul, the son of iconic libertarian, Tea Party darling and former Republican Senator Ron Paul, warned that the administration could use drones against American citizens on U.S. soil, a possibility that Attorney General Eric Holder refused to rule out.

"I rise today to begin to filibuster John Brennan's nomination for the CIA. I will speak until I can no longer speak," Paul began. "I will speak as long as it takes, until the alarm is sounded from coast to coast that our Constitution is important, that your rights to trial by jury are precious, that no American should be killed by a drone on American soil without first being charged with a crime, without first being found to be guilty by a court."

Paul carried out the filibuster as it used to be exercised -- in person, speaking continuously to maintain his hold on the floor. Procedural rules allow senators to speak as long they want and are able, but relatively recent changes allow current senators to simply claim a filibuster without physically doing anything.

Paul's stance was essentially symbolic. Without support from the rest of his party, there was no realistic way for him to prevent Brennan's confirmation, and as Paul stated early in his speech, that was not his intent.

"I am hopeful that we have drawn attention to this issue, that this issue won't fade away, that the president will tomorrow come up with a response," Paul said. "I would like nothing more than to facilitate the continuation of the debate tomorrow."

Opponents of the drone strike program lauded Paul, even those who don't usually agree with him.

"He's using the filibuster the way it's meant to be used," Jon Stewart said on Wednesday night's The Daily Show, which aired while Paul was still speaking.

Aside from bringing attention to administration's drone program, Paul has also raised his own profile, potentially gaining support from across the political spectrum for a run at the White House in 2016, a possibility he has not ruled out.