The main downside to the road bike is mounting options for fenders, rack, and panniers, etc. Basically, most road bikes available simply don't have the braze-on's for fenders, racks, etc. So, you'll have to shop around for a road bike with braze-on options.
That being said...I commuted for years on a road bike with no braze-ons...
- There are fenders that clip onto the stays in the rear and the fork in front that are reasonably secure. (If you frequently ride in wet conditions, you'll want fenders.)
- There are seat-post mounted racks which are capable of holding panniers. The downside is that the load capacity is considerably less than when you have braze-ons to support the load. (My seat-post mounted rack on my old road bike can accomodate ~20lbs; whereas I can put ~40+lbs in the panniers on my hybrid with braze-ons)
- The other option for hauling stuff is to use a backpack or messenger bag. This is not a deal breaker for some people and some commutes.
In terms of hybrids... There are many options for hybrid bikes these days. As far as I know, all of them have a general set of braze-ons that allow for fenders, racks, panniers. All of the major manufacturers have multiple "hybrid" options. Some of these hybrids are pretty sweet bikes with mainly road bike features. They're often marketed as "fitness" hybrids. An example that a friend just bought, is the "District 9" by Trek; he did swap out the upright bars for drop bars though. Point is, several manufacturers (Scott, Cannondale, Specialized, etc.) make this type of hybrid, so this could be a good option.
Your third option could be a touring bike.
All in all, figure out your major use and how much stuff you're going to be hauling around. Then start shopping around and try out a few bikes.
To complete my answer...
I recently helped a friend shop for a new bike for his commute. He is mostly a road cyclist, but finally selected a "fitness" or "road inspired" hybrid for commuting purposes and lunch time workouts. The bike is essentially a road bike, but with braze-ons for fenders and rack/panniers. It's also somewhat heavier than a regular road bike, came stocked with 700x28c tires, nice rims, had flat bars, racing type seat and otherwise had quality components. He made a deal with the bike shop to swap out to drop bars and shifters/brake levers for the drop bars. This is a nice bike which is a lot of fun to ride; and seriously I could easily spend 4 - 6 hours on this bike, but I wouldn't want to do a very hilly century on it.
Anyway...
Get a road bike if you really want one and aren't terribly concerned about hauling loads. Otherwise, newer "fitness/road inspired" hybrids may be a good option for your purposes.