General Cycling Discussion - new to commuting... which bike to get?

Greetings to all!
I am going to be commuting to work (9.5 miles with a couple of minor hills) as well as doing some club rides (not races) and recreational riding with the Mrs.. There is a secure place to store the bike while at work, although if any of my co-workers chose to vandalize it that could be a problem.
I am considering everything from a Trek 1200, 7700, 7700FX all the way down to a Giant OCR2 or even a Sedona LX (much more wife pleasing price range).
In looking at some previous posts on this subject I see that people commute on anything from a Walmart mountain bike to high end machines.
I am new to cycling so I would really appreciate any input as to what bike is the best all around choice for the type of riding I'll be doing. Thanks for your help.

I recently purchased a SPECIALIZED EXPEDITION DELUXE for $450. I've also dropped another $100 in accessories (computer, helmet, rear light, etc). So far I am very please with it (3 weeks/115 miles). I'm in my mid-50's, retired, and my daily commute is a couple of laps around the neighborhood in the morning. I'm now up to 14 miles a ride. Great exercise, and I'm loving every minute of it! Sorry I waited so long to take this up!

:)

My opinion:

For riding on roads, buy a road bike. For carrying loads, buy a bike that can mount racks and panniers. For riding in all weather, buy a bike that can accept fenders. For reasonable comfort and flat protection, buy a bike that can accept relatively wide tires.

There are two types of bikes that can meet all of these criteria: touring bikes and (some) cyclocross bikes. (There may be some recumbents that do as well; I'm not familiar with that market.)

With appropriate gearing and tires, a cyclocross bike (Jamis Nova, Kona Jake-the-Snake, Surly Crosscheck) can be an all-around versatile bike for almost any application, without serious compromises. The same is true of touring bikes like the Fuji Touring, Trek 520, Bianchi Volpe, Novara Randonee.

Don't be scared off by drop handlebars; just make sure the bike shop understands that you want the bars high enough for comfort, not road racing.

RichC

I second that. For the kind of fast, non-competative road riding you want, with some utility, a light touring bike or cx would be ideal.
My own commuter bike is a road/touring bike which can take rack, fenders and 32mm tyres.
A note on touring bikes. Some are quite heavy duty, designed to carry a full camping load (like the Trek 520). They are generally a bit lighter in weight than good hybrid bikes, but heavier than road racing models. Light-touring bikes are designed for fast comfortable day rides, or touring with very light luggage. They can be close in weight to racing bikes. I would suggest a light touring bike for your application.