Python good for data mining?

[Jens]

I'm starting a project in data mining, and I'm considering Python and
Java as possible platforms.

I'm conserned by performance. Most benchmarks report that Java is
about 10-15 times faster than Python, and my own experiments confirms
this. I could imagine this to become a problem for very large
datasets.

How good is the integration with MySQL in Python?

What about user interfaces? How easy is it to use Tkinter for
developing a user interface without an IDE? And with an IDE? (which
IDE?)

What if I were to use my Python libraries with a web site written in
PHP, Perl or Java - how do I intergrate with Python?

I really like Python for a number of reasons, and would like to avoid
Java.

Sorry - lot of questions here - but I look forward to your replies!