debian apt somehow created python hell! - help

[watermod]

I was doing one of those auto apt-get gui things with update manager in 
Debian and not watching the error log so I don't know where it started.

It involves only Python stuff.  I don't know Python but apps use it.


The current apt state is that python apps are failing install in:
/usr/sbin/update-python-modules

typical error list looks like:

dpkg: warning - old pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
dpkg - trying script from the new package instead ...
WARNING: python-gtk2-doc.private does not exist.
         Some bytecompiled files may be left behind.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/sbin/update-python-modules", line 437, in <module>
    public_packages[package].install(need_postinstall)
  File "/usr/sbin/update-python-modules", line 232, in __getitem__
    self[name] = SharedFileList (path)
  File "/usr/sbin/update-python-modules", line 146, in __init__
    for line in file(path):
IOError: [Errno 21] Is a directory
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/python-gtk2-
doc_2.14.1-2_all.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/sbin/update-python-modules", line 437, in <module>
    public_packages[package].install(need_postinstall)
  File "/usr/sbin/update-python-modules", line 232, in __getitem__
    self[name] = SharedFileList (path)
  File "/usr/sbin/update-python-modules", line 146, in __init__
    for line in file(path):
IOError: [Errno 21] Is a directory
dpkg: error while cleaning up:

on and on and on....
The following:

 dpkg -C

gives:
The following packages are in a mess due to serious problems during
installation.  They must be reinstalled for them (and any packages
that depend on them) to function properly:
 python-reportbug     Python modules for interacting with bug tracking 
systems
 lsb-release          Linux Standard Base version reporting utility
 python-ogg           Python interface to the Ogg library
 system-config-lvm    A utility for graphically configuring Logical 
Volumes
 bitpim               utility to communicate with many CDMA phones
 bitpim-lib           architecture-dependent helper files for BitPim
 python-glade2        GTK+ bindings: Glade support
 python-gtk2          Python bindings for the GTK+ widget set
 python-feedparser    Universal Feed Parser for Python
 python-gtk2-doc      Python bindings for the GTK+ widget set - 
documentation
 k3d                  3D modeling and animation system

The following packages have been unpacked but not yet configured.
They must be configured using dpkg --configure or the configure
menu option in dselect for them to work:
 acroread-plugins     Plugins for Adobe Acrobat(R) Reader
 python-roman         module for generating/analyzing Roman numerals
 python-soappy        SOAP Support for Python
 python-glpk          Python bindings to the GNU Linear Programming Kit
 python-dialog        Python module for making simple Text/Console-mode 
user in
 python-biggles       Scientific plotting package for Python
 python-gd            Python module wrapper for libgd
 python-clutter       Open GL based interactive canvas library - Python 
binding
 python-decoratortools version-agnostic decorators support for Python
 python-fpconst       Utilities for handling IEEE 754 floating point 
special va
 acroread-data        data files for acroread
 python-galago-gtk    GTK+ widgets for the Galago presence library 
(Python inte
 python-utmp          python module for working with utmp
 python-debianbts     Python interface to Debian's Bug Tracking System
 python-gobject-dev   Development headers for the GObject Python bindings
 acroread-escript     Adobe EScript Plug-In
 python-dhm           collection of Python utilities / helper
 python-unit          unit test framework for Python
 acpid                Utilities for using ACPI power management
 python-sqlalchemy    SQL toolkit and Object Relational Mapper for Python
 python-gnutls        Python wrapper for the GNUTLS library
 python-xlib          Interface for Python to the X11 Protocol
 acroread             Adobe Acrobat Reader: Portable Document Format file 
viewe
 python-pyinotify     simple Linux inotify Python bindings
 python-facebook      Python wrappers for the Facebook API
 reportbug            reports bugs in the Debian distribution
 python-ll-core       Python modules for colors, make, cron, daemons, 
URLs, tem
 python-beaker        Simple WSGI middleware that uses the Myghty 
Container API
 python-xcbgen        X C Binding - protocol binding generator
 libroot-dev          Header files for ROOT
 python-dcop          DCOP bindings for Python
 python-docutils      utilities for the documentation of Python modules
 libroot-python-dev   Python extension for ROOT - development files
 python-extractor     extracts meta-data from files of arbitrary type 
(Python b
 python-debian        Python modules to work with Debian-related data 
formats
 python-cheetah       text-based template engine and Python code generator
 python-galago        Galago presence library (Python interface)

The following packages are only half configured, probably due to problems
configuring them the first time.  The configuration should be retried 
using
dpkg --configure <package> or the configure menu option in dselect:
 python-support       automated rebuilding support for Python modules


The last one appears to be a key problem....   reconfigure gives the same 
dam error.

Chicken egg problem of some sort...
I can't add or remove anything python with the debian package tools...
Maybe I could install by hand by a tarball if I knew where to stick stuff

I unpacked a tarball to: /usr/src/python-support-1.0.2
but have no idea what to do...  I am not a python guy... c, c++ perl but  
brain dead for this...
/usr/src/python-support-1.0.2# ls -CF
COPYING     debian/  movemodules*    pysupport.py	     README    
update-python-modules*
debhelper/  hold     parseversions*  python-support.private  runtime/  
update-python-modules.8

SO!!!     HELP ...  SUGGESTIONS?