Upgrading Python on Red Hat 7.2?

[Leif K-Brooks]

I have an ancient server with Red Hat 7.2 and Python 1.5.2. I want to 
install mod_python, but I'll need a version of python from some time 
after the stone age to do that. Up2date is broken (missing Python 
module, go figure), so I can't use that. The latest RPMs seem to be for 
Red Hat 9, will they work with 7.2? If not, will building from source 
make versioned binaries only (/usr/bin/pythonX.X instead of 
/usr/bin/python)?