[python@python ~]$ cat .pythonstartup
import readline
import rlcompleter
import atexit
import os
#tab completion
readline.parse_and_bind('tab: complete')
#history file
histfile = os.path.join(os.environ['HOME'], '.pythonhistory')
try:
  readline.read_history_file(histfile)
except IOError:
  pass
atexit.register(readline.write_history_file,histfile)
del os,histfile,readline,rlcompleter

[python@python ~]$ cat .bash_profile|grep PYTHON
export PYTHONSTARTUP=/home/python/.pythonstartup

[python@python ~]$ python
Python 2.7.5 (default, Oct 6 2013, 10:45:13)
[GCC 4.1.2 20080704 (Red Hat 4.1.2-44)] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import md5
>>> md5.
md5.__class__(     md5.__getattribute__( md5.__reduce__(    md5.__subclasshook__(
md5.__delattr__(    md5.__hash__(     md5.__reduce_ex__(   md5.blocksize
md5.__dict__      md5.__init__(     md5.__repr__(     md5.digest_size
md5.__doc__      md5.__name__      md5.__setattr__(    md5.md5(
md5.__file__      md5.__new__(      md5.__sizeof__(    md5.new(
md5.__format__(    md5.__package__    md5.__str__(      md5.warnings
>>> import os
>>> import md5

Python build finished, but the necessary bits to build these modules were not found:
_tkinter            gdbm      readline      sunaudiodev

redhat:   readline-devel.xxx.rpm