Al Franken Chokes Up During Speech After 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal Is Defeated (VIDEO)

Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) choked up during a speech on the Senate floor after the bill including a repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was defeated by a GOP filibuster.

Franken has done several USO tours, and he became quite emotional describing a particular one where he was entertaining the troops during a long show and expressed confusion about the worth of the DADT policy and the harm it did to our military. Several soldiers approached him afterward and told him they were gay.

Naming the ban "foolish" and "unjust," he called for its repeal and noted that we are not only hurting gay and lesbian service members but also ourselves:

All gay and lesbian service members want to be able to serve. Instead, people are getting kicked out of the military. People who don't need any moral waiver, people who don't need standards lowered for them in order to serve. People who are patriotic and courageous and who have vital, irreplaceable skills.

WATCH: (via TPM)