[Mailman-Users] bin/newlist hangs after initial password entered

[Steven]

system: redhat 7.1 with all available updates for packages that I have
installed.

versions of related packages:
mailman-2.0.11
Python 1.5.2 
sendmail 8.11.6-2.7.1
apache 1.3.22-1.7.1

so, I've doubled checked all the steps in the INSTALL file and the
related README files.

When I run cd to /home/mailman and run bin/newlist, it hangs after I
enter the password at the "Initial $listname password:" prompt.  I've
given it as long as 15 minutes, and it still just sits there.  I'd
expect it to prompt me to confrim the password at the point, but alas,
nothing.

I've tried running newlist as both root and mailman (both su'd to those
accounts and having logged in directly with those accounts via ssh)

here's the command exactly as I'm running it and the first few prompts
up to the time it hangs:

[root at rattletrap mailman]# bin/newlist -o nloutput
Enter the name of the list: test
Enter the email of the person running the list: steven_at_shults.org
Initial test password: 

and that's where it hangs

Here's what I find in /var/log/messages while waiting for a response:

May 27 18:12:55 rattletrap sshd(pam_unix)[16170]: session opened for
user root by (uid=0)

and here's what I get after giving up on newlist and hitting ^c
(ctrl-c):

Traceback (innermost last):
  File "bin/newlist", line 220, in ?
    main()
  File "bin/newlist", line 169, in main
    mlist.Create(listname, owner_mail, pw)
  File "/home/mailman/Mailman/MailList.py", line 786, in Create
    self.__lock.lock()
  File "/home/mailman/Mailman/LockFile.py", line 286, in lock
    self.__sleep()
  File "/home/mailman/Mailman/LockFile.py", line 424, in __sleep
    time.sleep(interval)
KeyboardInterrupt
[root at rattletrap mailman]#

any ideas folks?

tia,
~steven