Macromedia AND Adobe both use mod_perl for their sites- pretty big endorsement, I think. (Links go to Netcraft's server query results. . .)

Update:
Oh, and the Wayback machine uses extensively in one of the largest databases on the planet. . .

Of course, your situation isn't parallel to these sites, but there HAS to be good reasons they made these choices- they could certainly afford any platform they needed.

-Any sufficiently advanced technology is
indistinguishable from doubletalk.