Cowboypilot-
Teaching instruments helps make sure you understand the regs and procedures pretty well....but if you don't know them well enough to teach them, you shouldnt be given the CFII in the first place. Someone who just finished studying 3 days straight for a checkride will typically know more details of the rules than someone who has been flying on and off over a year.

You allude to express jet, but what other regionals do you think are worth "holding out" for? What regionals would you turn down if they called today and said you have a job? (assuming you did great on the interview).

Not all pilots getting hired low time went to these flow through programs from ATP, RAA, ERAU, UND, (insert school/academy name here). I have met many from Part 61 FBO training also. It has been said before, but there are many fully capable 500hour pilots that can fully handle the training, job tasks, and succeed in the airline world. There are also a number of 1000+ hour pilots that can't do as well in training, but are given the opportunity because they have logged the hours. Hours alone does not make you a better pilot. Quality of time, Quality of training, varied experience, and motivation to self study all play into how well qualified a pilot is.

If these pilots were a danger, incompetent, or not ready for training, the airlines would not waste time and money to train them.