Many BFers will recommend that a good LBS with support & service is almost as important as the particular bike chosen. Obviously there is a balance but if you're going to be commuting daily, then having a service dept. available for a quick stop & adjustment is pretty nice. Maybe you do all your own wrenching and so this is not an issue for you. For me, having my favorite LBS a 1/2 mile from work means I can run by & get them to tweak something for me and that convenience is really useful for me. 32 miles RT is over 150 miles per week & your bike is going to need regular attention & servicing.

I've been commuting 8 miles RT on my Surly LHT. Dreamy bike but last week I had to take my steel '02 Giant Boulder off the garage hook (LHT was in the shop) to get to work. I really liked getting back on the ol' bike and riding upright. But my commute is short & yours is long. If you can ride 16 miles in around an hour, you're really kicking butt, IMO. My Giant was ~ $275 new and with some modifications, has been a very sturdy road/commuter bike. I'm 6'4", 230, 35" inseam and the modified MTB bike is solid with a range of tire size & type options. You don't list any Giant bikes...? No dealers near you?

I see a guy from my neighborhood riding in to work sometimes & he has a Schwinn super sport that looks really comfortable. Set up with old stingray handlebars so he's riding nearly fully upright. But with a 16 mile ride, I think that a touring/road style will be more comfortable. I don't think there is anything wrong with Schwinn bikes for the money (altho they get some bad press on BF occasionally). Don't know if you've looked at the max sizes for all those bikes listed above but that was the criterion that eliminated a lot of 'cool' possibilities for my own bike purchases: many of the ones that I researched and that got good reviews were discovered to only come in 58 or 59 cm & I needed the tallest I could find.