It makes sense for Archer to get Bard. Again, they want you to have the ability to solo or play in a group. A plain old Bard (think ffxi for a moment) is a tasty treat to most mobs, but and Archer/Bard would be a force to be reckoned with.

Also, as others have pointed out, the Uldah Storyline Bard is no wuss, and I doubt they intend the class to just be a backline job. Lastly, archers DO stand in the perfect 'Party Buffer' position. An archer can buff both the mages AND the DD's without running back and forth too much (Again, think ffxi and bards trying to keep magic buffs on mages and damage buffs on DDs without over-crossing them).