HTTP 1.1 specifies
The HTTP protocol does not place
  any a priori limit on the length of
  a URI. Servers MUST be able to handle
  the URI of any resource they    serve,
  and SHOULD be able to handle URIs of
  unbounded length if they    provide
  GET-based forms that could generate
  such URIs. A server    SHOULD return
  414 (Request-URI Too Long) status if a
  URI is longer    than the server can
  handle (see section 10.4.15).
  Note: Servers ought to be cautious about depending on URI
  lengths above 255 bytes, because some older client or proxy
  implementations might not properly support these lengths.
No restriction on Content-Length (for POST requests) is specified.