U.S. Sen. Rand Paul took a rare step Wednesday in blocking the nomination of John Brennan to be CIA director by engaging in a nearly 13-hour filibuster where he held the floor of the Senate, speaking at length and taking comments and questions from colleagues.

Paul’s filibuster centered on questions about U.S. drone policy. He demanded that President Barack Obama or Attorney General Eric Holder issue a statement that aircraft would not be used in the United States to kill terrorism suspects who are U.S. citizens.

Paul began his filibuster of the nomination shortly before noon Eastern time Wednesday and ended it a little after midnight.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said he would continue to oppose Brennan’s confirmation.

Talking filibusters have become rare in recent decades because of Senate rules allowing a hold on an action to essentially take its place, said Scott Lasley, associate political science professor at Western Kentucky University.

“You don’t see them very often,” he said.

A classic example of a talking filibuster is the one that former South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond embarked on which lasted about 24 hours, Lasley said.

Thurmond holds the record for the longest individual speech in the Senate, according to the U.S. Senate website. He spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

The existence of filibusters shows how differently business is done in the House of Representatives and the Senate, Lasley said.

“The rule that allows them is very significant to how the Senate does business,” he said.

He is teaching a class this semester on legislative action, and Paul’s filibuster will be something he talks about with students, Lasley said.

Paul’s filibuster was more of a delaying tactic than an action aimed to make a difference in Senate votes on the Brennan nomination, he said.

It serves to place attention on an issue that Paul thinks is important – the government’s use of drones, Lasley said.

The move could also be helpful to Paul by drawing people’s attention if he decides to run for president in 2016, he said.

“He certainly has captivated a large audience for this,” Lasley said.

Paul has said he will wait until next year to make a decision about a potential presidential run. His father, Ron Paul, made several failed bids for president.

Dalton Workman, a sophomore from Hopkinsville and chairman of the WKU College Republicans, said he sees the filibuster as the minority party’s way of checking the majority party.

Workman watched parts of Paul’s filibuster Wednesday afternoon. He said the filibuster is an example of Paul taking a stand and working to draw attention to the use of drones.

“I think it takes a lot of courage to stand up and hold people in government accountable,” he said.

The tactic could potentially give Paul more leverage in the Senate and allow him to be seen as a stronger figure, Workman said.

Several hours into the filibuster, Workman said he wasn’t surprised that Paul had spoken for so long, with assistance from colleagues in the Senate including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

“I think if anybody’s passionate enough about something, they can speak as long as they need to,” he said.

– The Associated Press contributed to this story.