The best chance at ending the bulk collection of phone record metadata by the National Security Agency from pretty much every American has died in the Senate. That's despite having a strong majority of 58 senators in support. It was
killed largely by two Republicans: Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul.
McConnell, like many Republicans, voted it down because he believed the reforms went too far, while Paul voted against the bill because it did not go far enough.
Paul said immediately after the vote that he "felt bad" about his vote against the motion.
"They probably needed my vote," he said, opposing Leahy’s bill because it would extend the sunset provisions for the laws authorizing surveillance. "It's hard for me to vote for something I object to so much."
Yes, they needed his vote if reform was going to happen. Clearly, he's not that conflicted over his vote, and he's not that committed to seeing the NSA reformed. It's far more likely that he's looking for a way to make this a bigger, flashier fight, where he could get more media attention. That's because the provision of the Patriot Act that the NSA has been relying on to conduct bulk collection
expires in six months. The NSA and probably the new Republican majority will want desperately to renew it to keep the NSA's easy access to all this data. Perhaps Paul thinks a fight with his own majority will be more beneficial for him politically. Because it is Rand Paul, after all.