[mod_python] cannot import mod_python.apache error

I tried an

strace HTTPDBINARY -d SERVERROOT -f conf/httpd.conf -X 2>/tmp/errlog

and then when I grep the output for site-packages, I dont see any 
site-packages/mod_python at all. All I see, is

-----grep 'site-packages' /tmp/errlog --------
stat64("/opt/python/default/lib/python2.3/site-packages", 
{st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_size=4096, ...}) = 0
open("/opt/python/default/lib/python2.3/site-packages", 
O_RDONLY|O_NONBLOCK|O_LARGEFILE|O_DIRECTORY) = 9
stat64("/opt/python/default/lib/python2.3/site-packages", 
{st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_size=4096, ...}) = 0
stat64("/opt/python/default/lib/python2.3/site-packages/sitecustomize", 
0xbfffe15c) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/opt/python/default/lib/python2.3/site-packages/sitecustomize.so", 
O_RDONLY|O_LARGEFILE) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/opt/python/default/lib/python2.3/site-packages/sitecustomizemodule.so", 
O_RDONLY|O_LARGEFILE) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/opt/python/default/lib/python2.3/site-packages/sitecustomize.py", 
O_RDONLY|O_LARGEFILE) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/opt/python/default/lib/python2.3/site-packages/sitecustomize.pyc", 
O_RDONLY|O_LARGEFILE) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
------------------------------------------------

and greping for mod_python gives
----------------------
open("/opt/apache/default/modules/mod_python.so", O_RDONLY) = 4
open("/opt/apache/default/modules/mod_python.so", O_RDONLY) = 5
write(2, "No module named mod_python.apach"..., 33) = 33
----------------------

finally 'grep "apache[^/-]" /tmp/errlog' gives
--------------
open("./php-apache2filter.ini", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or 
directory)
open("/opt/php/php-4.3.0/lib/php-apache2filter.ini", O_RDONLY) = -1 
ENOENT (No such file or directory)
read(8, "GET /apache_pb.gif HTTP/1.1\r\nHos"..., 8000) = 477
stat64("/stage/w3serv/vhost.cs.uchicago.edu/docs/apache_pb.gif", 
0xbffff81c) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
lstat64("/stage/w3serv/vhost.cs.uchicago.edu/docs/apache_pb.gif", 
0xbffff7ec) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
----------------

The [^/-] is to remove "apache/" and "apache-2.0.44".

It looks as if mod_python is not even trying to load the module?!

- Murali