I can't comment on the specific bikes, but I will say this. I commute on my old touring bike and love it- if I were looking for a new one I would get something designed as a cross bike or a touring bike. The longer wheelbase makes it a very stable ride, but I still like the drop bars and really wouldn't want to go to a straight bar (riding my mountain bike on the road feels ridiculous). My bike has bar-end shifters and that works perfectly fine (the gearing is such that the gears are spread out a little more so I'm not shifting constantly anyway the way I would be on my road bike). My tires are a little wider (700x30) and that probably helps with the stability.

Good luck!