I'm trying to setup my workstation, starting with a minimal debian install. There will be no services running and I want it secure, however, my iptables are blocking me from the outside. I'm using the rules below (having tried both commented lines as well)...

iptables -P INPUT DROP
iptables -P OUTPUT ACCEPT
iptables -P FORWARD DROP

# iptables -A INPUT -i eth0 -p icmp -j ACCEPT
# iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT

iptables -A INPUT -i lo -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -o lo -j ACCEPT

So far there has been no escape, can anyone help punch the right holes?

You drop EVERYTHING from outside, even replies to your own requests. Add
iptables -A INPUT -m state --state ESTABLISHED, RELATED -j ACCEPT