Lt. General John Nicholson speaks during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday on Capitol Hill.
The Hill: Gen. Nicholson's task in Afghanistan
The most interesting revelation during the confirmation hearings of Army Lt. Gen. John Nicholson, who was nominated as the next commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was the revelation by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) that Nicholson's great-great-uncle was British Lt. Gen. John Nicholson, who had participated in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839 to 1842) and been held captive in Ghazni.
It was also interesting that Kirk himself had served as a reservist under Nicholson in Afghanistan. It is a sign of how familiar Afghanistan has become to America's leadership. With the extension of our troop presence past 2016, it will continue being familiar to Americans for several years longer.
A number of senators encouraged Nicholson to provide the Senate, following his initial 90-day assessment, with his objective and nonpolitical assessment of how many troops are needed to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan, which Nicholson said were to "defeat al Qaeda and its affiliates, contribute to regional and international peace and stability, and enhance the ability of Afghanistan to deter threats against its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity."
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WNU Editor: Not everyone is happy with the appointment of Army Lt. Gen. John Nicholson as the next commander of US forces in Afghanistan .... Marine: New U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Threw Us Under the Bus (Washington Free Beacon).
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