The 15" screens have been LED for some time. Check in the AM at the Apple refurb store. They have had the 2.4 SR 160 gig 256mb 8600gt for $1649. They've been selling out every afternoon though.
Also, the refurb section of the Apple store is usually updated Tuesday through Saturday mornings, so you might not see anything for another day or two.
Vote for refurb here as well. Since you get the exact same warranty on a refurb as you do with a new machine, unless you must run to the store and buy it today, get it from Apple.
Hmmm I dunno. Best Buy has the accidental damage warranty where they cover phsyical damage done to a laptop. Its only 50 bucks more than the normal extended warranty. Just that thought alone should make you consider buying from bestbuy.