Given your criteria, I would say the crosscheck wins hands down. I have a CC which I built from the frame up with 105 components. I love it, but I use it as my weekend fun bike, not as my commuter. Never tried the LHT but I imagine it's similar to my Cannondale touring bike which I commute on whenever I need to carry lots of stuff. Comfortable and dependable, but not as fast as the crosscheck.

That said, there are a lots of really nice bikes for commuting 20-30 miles every day. If it has to be a Surly, then go with the CC. Otherwise, look at Salsa, Fuji, Kona, Masi, or a number of others. The picture thread is a great way to see what people use and get some ideas.