Here is why.
"John R. Allen, the retired Marine general who served as the top American commander in Afghanistan, has been picked by the Obama administration to coordinate the international effort against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a senior administration official said Thursday.
The Obama administration has stressed the importance of building a broad international coalition to combat the militant group, and General Allen has long experience working with leaders in the region.
During the war in Iraq, General Allen served as the deputy Marine commander in Anbar Province, where he played an important role in strengthening relationships with Sunni tribes and nurturing the Awakening movement.
He later served as the deputy commander of Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East. From 2011 to 2013, General Allen led the American and allied military effort in Afghanistan.
General Allen has also served as an adviser to Secretary of State John Kerry. He developed a security plan for the West Bank during Mr. Kerry’s unsuccessful effort to forge a comprehensive Israeli and Palestinian peace agreement."
Those seem like pretty relevant and topical credentials to me. I don't know what is so crazy about him being selected to do this. It isn't like he is some ancient relic from the Gulf War. He has considerable experience in our recent campaigns in the middle east.