The D5000 also has a 2.7 inch screen while the D90 has a 3 inch screen. That alone is worth some extra $$ to me. I started with a D60, which had a 2.5 inch screen, and went to a D90, which has a 3 inch screen - even though I don't look at the screen all the time, and the image displayed on the screen is not quite what comes out of the camera, I find the 3 inch screen to be quite nice.
I would place the photographer before the lens or the camera - but would agree, lens is more important than camera. Ken Rockwell is hit or miss, sometimes he reviews stuff he has never seen or touched. I'd trust the reviews of my fellow Nikonites over his!