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As mentioned, Python or Ruby/Rails are your best bets; if you wanted to do something a bit more unusual, you might consider a functional language like Haskell (as functional languages are an up-and-coming development paradigm)...

Check out Real World Haskell: http://book.realworldhaskell.org/read/

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As a first programming language, I wouldn't consider Haskell, plus the Real World Haskell book could use a lot more polishing.

If you are seriously in it for the long hall, gentrysherrill's advice of learning a functional language is a probably a good choice, but it shouldn't be Haskell. Scheme or Common Lisp is a better choice.

Get Conrad Barski's new book Land of Lisp. Go through it first, then consider checking out the Little Schemer or How to Design Programs (version 2).

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