Cannondale has a really nice touring bike for 2009. It does have an aluminum frame however, and in the LBS here, it was $2000.00.

I know it is not in the class of some of the other bikes listed, but I ended up getting a Windsor Touring bike from Bikes Direct.
It had everything I wanted in a touring bike and was much less expensive then some of the other brands. It has a steel frame, drop bars and gears ranging from 32/35 to 52/11.
I know the components are not all "high-end", but I have put several hundred miles on the bike (30 mile RT commute) and I love it. I manage my commute on the Windsor in the same (or less) amount of time I used to, riding my Cannondale road bike...and I do it more comfortably.
My .02 worth...