diff --git a/bootstrap.conf b/bootstrap.conf
index a291590293b07a372f22c2188509b29e67f0ad47..c3527180a3d07157f444ed26eb7b205623e8f211 100644
--- a/bootstrap.conf
+++ b/bootstrap.conf
@@ -195,6 +195,7 @@ gettext    0.17
 git        1.5.5
 gzip       -
 libtool    -
+patch      -
 perl       5.5
 pkg-config -
 python-config -
@@ -203,10 +204,11 @@ tar        -
 xmllint	   -
 xsltproc   -
 "
-# You don't have to be on a system with rpm; rather, if you happen to
-# be on RHEL 5, then this bypasses the bootstrap logic that probes for
-# a working 'python-config --version'.
-if `(rpm -q python-devel) >/dev/null 2>&1`; then
+# Use rpm as a fallback to bypass the bootstrap probe for python-config,
+# for the sake of RHEL 5; without requiring it on newer systems that
+# have python-config to begin with.
+if `(${PYTHON_CONFIG-python-config} --version;
+     test $? -lt 126 || rpm -q python-devel) >/dev/null 2>&1`; then
   PYTHON_CONFIG=true
 fi