Sen. Marco Rubio, one of the GOP's brightest stars, has in the past used his love of rock and hip hop music to up his coolness factor. In February, he released a playlist of his favorite songs, which ranged from Coldplay to Tupac.

On Wednesday night the Florida lawmaker cited rappers Jay-Z and Wiz Khalifa during an old-school tactic known as the filibuster that Republican senators employed to stall the confirmation of John Brennan, President Obama's choice to head the Central Intelligence Agency.

The effort was led by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who wants assurances from Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder that the U.S. won't use drones to target suspected terrorists who also happen to be American citizens. The goal is to talk on the Senate floor until the opposition gives up. This one lasted nearly 13 hours.

In the 12th hour of the filibuster, after referencing "modern day poet" Wiz Khalifa, he turned to Jay-Z's "A Week Ago."

"That takes me back to another modern day poet by the name of Jay-Z in one of the songs he wrote: 'It's funny what seven days can change. It was all good just a week ago,'" he said, perhaps to make the point that a week ago it seemed like Brennan would indeed be confirmed.

Rubio also quoted several lines from the film The Godfather, including, "Don't ever take sides with anyone against the family ever again."

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(Photo: Washington Post)