美國參議院批准布倫南出任中央情報局局長
The U.S. Senate has confirmed John Brennan as the new head of the Central Intelligence Agency after one senator threatened to hold up the vote indefinitely over the White House drone policy.
Thursday's vote was 63 to 34. It came after the Senate held a separate vote to cut off any more debate and and proceed with the confirmation.
Kentucky Republican Rand Paul filibustered against the Brennan confirmation, talking on the Senate floor non-stop for 13 hours. He demanded the Obama administration specify limits on using drone strikes to attack U.S. terror suspects on U.S. soil.
Attorney General Eric Holder sent Paul a brief letter stating that the president does not have the authority to kill a U.S. citizen not engaged in combat on U.S. soil.
Holder said earlier this week that while the president has no intention of ordering a drone strike within the United States, he could do so under an "extraordinary circumstance."
The Obama administration has used drones to kill terror suspects overseas, including U.S. citizens.
Brennnan is a long-time CIA official who had been Pendent Obama's top counterterrorism advisor. He has said he supported the drone policy.美國參議院批准約翰•布倫南出任美國中央情報局局長。此前，一位參議員針對白宮的無人機政策，一度威脅要以無限期討論的方式阻止對這 一提名的表決。
參議院星期四的表決結果是63票支持、34票反對。在這之前，參議院另行投票，終止就這一問題再進行任何辯論，並啓動確認提名程序。
來自肯塔基州的共和黨參議員蘭德•保羅曾試圖以無限期討論的方式阻止對布倫南提名的表決。保羅在參議院不停地發言長達13個小時。他要求奧巴馬政府具體說明限制在美國本土用無人機打擊恐怖嫌疑人。
美國司法部長霍爾德向保羅送交一封短信，說明奧巴馬總統無權下令在美國本土擊斃沒有參與戰鬥的美國公民。
霍爾德本星期早些時候說，奧巴馬無意在美國本土下令發動無人機攻擊，但在特殊情況下奧巴馬可能這樣做。
奧巴馬政府下令在國外使用無人機擊斃恐怖嫌疑人，包括美國公民。
布倫南長期在中央情報局任職，是奧巴馬總統的反恐事務最高顧問。他表示支持白宮的無人機政策。
