Beck: Rand Paul filibuster was 'the birth' of the Tea Party

Conservative host Glenn Beck described Sen. Rand Paul's (R-KY) March 6 filibuster on Monday in terms seemingly resembling those of a mother carrying a pregnancy to term.

"A historic movement has begun," he intoned. "You were here to hear the heartbeat when the Tea Party started. And last week, you witnessed the birth."

According to Right Wing Watch, Beck said the 13-hour filibuster would spark a "global freedom movement" that would soon spread across the political board.

"What started out last week with Rand Paul, in the end, will take the school boards, the city council and elect state representatives that people can trust, and then it will take seats in the House and the Senate," Beck said. "And it will eventually claim the White House."

Paul, a Tea Party member, spoke out against the nomination of John Brennan to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, spurring an increased call for details regarding President Barack Obama's policy regarding the use of unmanned drones. However, critics have accused Paul of engaging in grandstanding despite a spotty record of his own regarding civil liberties.

Paul's detractors included fellow Republican senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who called Graham's speech "ridiculous." Beck compared that criticism to the 1856 beating of Sen. Charles Sumner (R-MA) following his anti-slavery "Crime against Kansas" speech.

Watch Beck gush over Paul's filibuster, posted online by Right Wing Watch on Tuesday, below.