Here's another thought for the flames: If "the C++ language" is faster than Python, then how come that Visual C++ is faster then MinGW C++? Can C++ be faster than C++?
Exactly! It all depends on the compiler. One day Python or C# may in fact be faster than C++.
But the fact is that the top C++ compilers today are much faster than the fastest Python compiler/VM/etc.
Another thought: When multicore CPUs become the norm, C++ will quickly phase out as a popular language. Why? Because Tim Sweeney is right: It does not support multithreading well. Languages and platforms like C#.NET and Java will eat C++' lunch, and even Python will kick it around.
Good point.