I am a fan of the Jamis bikes. I have a 99 Jamis exile that I use as a commuter. I love mine. However as another poster mentioned, buy the bike you like riding the best. Component wise you may not even notice a difference depending on the riding you do.

As for steel vs. aluminum both of my bikes are steel (exile and LHT). I do think that the steel vs. aluminum is a bit overblown though. When looking for a touring bike I felt the aluminum Cannondale T2 was more comfortable than the LHT when I test rode both (although not by much). I've read that tires and geometry play a more important role in comfort than frame material (though I'm sure it does factor in). Hope this helps