I see you are also considering getting a Jamis Coda. I test rode one of those and that is a sweet steel bike. I'm not a fan of the Elite/Comp carbon fork because I cant fit fat tires on it, but all around a very good bike.

For commuting, the Jamis is the better bike. If I didn't drool so much over a Surly Long Haul Trucker, I would have bought the Jamis a long time ago.

The Giant bike would depend on what you are going through on your commute. If its mainly tarmac, get the Coda Sport or Comp which are a lot cheaper than the Elite. The Giant is a great option if you have a lot of opportunities to go off road and need the front shock, otherwise if you need a smooth ride get wider tires and ditch the suspension. I'd also avoid disc brakes. the cheaper varieties are a pain to adjust and not squeal.

Giant is a very good brand. If you are looking for US made bikes, you are going to very limited on selection and they are going to be very expensive. It seems like most bikes are built in China or Taiwan these days.