After some further hiccups that included an attempted filibuster by a Republican Senator, the US Senate has finally confirmed President Barack Obama's nominee John Brennan as the next CIA director.
Brennan, who served as Deputy National Security Adviser during Obama's first term, faced hard questions from some Republican Senators, with one of them, Rand Paul, trying to block the confirmation vote by speaking non-stop for nearly 13 hours on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
However, all that Senator Paul achieved was to delay the vote by one day. When the vote was taken on Thursday, Brennan won it 63-34, with several Republicans also voting for him.
Clearly, Paul had antagonised some of his senior party colleagues, including Senators John McCain and lindsey Graham, for questioning the US's lethal drone programme and demanding an explanation over some statements that the programme could be used within the United States as well. On the contrary, some Democrats praised him.
Just before the vote, Paul received a brief letter from Attorney General Eric Holder, conceding that the President does not have the authority to use a weaponised drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil.
At a White House briefing, spokesman Jay Carney said: "The president has not and would not use drone strikes against American citizens on American soil."