Everyone knows I am a Canon fanboi and would rush to suggest a Canon Rebel XT, but people are right, you need to go to the store and pick one up. The size and weight of the XT can put people off.
If you like the XT, consider getting it with the EFS 18-55 kit lens for $732 from buydig.com. Then consider the Canon EF 70-200 F4L lens for $569 from Beachcamera.com. This would be roughly $1300 excluding taxes, S&H, bags, memory cards, cleaning kits, tripods, etc. But you would get a great camera body, so-so wide-angle lens, and a really good telephoto.
Stepping up from that, consider...
Canon EOS-20D body only for $1057 from dbuys.com
Sigma 18-50 F2.8 for $449 from dbuys.com
Canon 70-200 F4L for $569 from beachcamera.com
Total for this would be $2075 for a MUCH improved set-up but still excluding taxes, S&H, bags, memory cards, cleaning kits, tripods, etc.