One bike that doesn't get much love here is the Fuji touring bike but at $889, it's worth taking a look at esp. if you want to buy a touring bike from an LBS and don't want to spring for the Surly LHT touring bike or the Trek 520:
Fuji Bikes | LIFESTYLE | PAVEMENT - ALL-TERRAIN | TOURING
As for brifters versus bar ends, this debate can (and probably will) go on forever. Both work and both have their fans. I really like brifters but personally I am not a fan of indexing for a triple crankset. I like friction for the front 3 Plus as far as I'm concerned, simplest is best when it comes to touring.