Thus you can't compare something like Rails to PHP, but rather would need to compare Rails to the many frameworks out there. There are many frameworks out there that make working with PHP a joy, some like NOLOH (which I'm a co-founder of) feels like it's own thing completely allowing you to work in a single language that shields you from having to deal with the craziness that is client-server interaction, AJAX, Comet, SEO, etc, something which the author alludes to wanting to have.
If you don't want to use a framework, PHP can be very useful by itself to write quick scripts, just like many other languages. Furthermore, the release of PHP 5.3 last year has moved PHP forward considerably and makes the frameworks and libraries available for it even cleaner, and more powerful than before.
Personally, I'm an advocate of using the best tools for the job, but first it's important to understand what in fact that tool is and what it's capable of.
Ultimately, any blanket statement that suggests something that's being used by millions of developers and some of the largest companies out there should die just doesn't sit right with me.
I've noticed that it's in vogue to bash PHP, but frankly, with the current state of the language, along with its frameworks and libraries, there's no better time to work with PHP. It reminds me of a recent exchange I had with an associate of mine, we were talking about writing a script and when the mention of PHP came up, he bashed it without reason. He hadn't used PHP in years, but just had this impression in his mind that it was bad. Several days later I showed him the completed script in PHP and how clean, clear and concise it was. He was amazed.
I would hope that we could move beyond such statements and take pride in what we produce, instead of second guessing yourself when the tool you're using is getting the job done, lets explore some of the amazing tools, frameworks and libraries that are pushing PHP forward.