Python as a HTTP Client

[pinkfloydhomer at gmail.com]

I am writing a program that has to do some lightweight HTTP
communication with a webserver on the internet. I haven't checked, but
I'm sure I could do something lowlevel like opening a socket myself and
then send/receive everything myself on this (how do I do that?), but
I'd bet that Python have some module which is more high level.
Something that would just let me connect using an URL, send a few GETs,
and receive the answer as a string/file etc.

Does this exist, and where can I read about it?

/David