Professionals in the State Department

In reporting on Secretary of State-designate Rice's choice of a deputy, the Washingon Post observes

What is striking about Zoellick and others being talked about as candidates for top jobs at State, foreign policy analysts said, is that most of them are professional diplomats.

Why is this striking? This is a strange statement. Who does the Post expect to fill top diplomatic posts, bums off the street? What's next, the "striking" observation that the CIA is hiring professional from the espionage community? Maybe the Treasury will hire economic professionals? How striking would that be?