[mod_python] authentication?

With mod_python can new means of authenticating websites be introduced? 
ie instead of requiring a username/password combo it could pass special 
encrypted keys back and forth without needing to prompt the user 
(assuming the client also understands the new auth scheme)? I'm not 
really familiar with how flexible http and Apache are in this regard. 
I'm wanting to use XML-RPC for the communications but I don't want to 
encode the authentication as XML-RPC - I'd rather authentication happen 
on it's own level akin to how normal http authentication would.

--
Michael <mogmios at mlug.missouri.edu>
http://kavlon.org