Trouble with readline compiling on Redhat 8.0

List,
I'm attempting to install PG 7.3 on my RedHat 8.0 box.
My RedHat install was minimal...but readline was installed. I run my PG
configure script like this:
(in /usr/src/postgresql-7.3/)

./configure --prefix=/usr/local --bindir=/usr/local/bin --datadir=/usr/local
/share --enable-odbc --sysconfdir=/etc/pgsql --libdir=/usr/lib --includedir=
/usr/include --with-libs=/usr/lib --with-perl

That's how it should be for my system, as far as I know.
Now configure chokes and dies on readline with the following error message:

checking for readline... no
configure: error: readline library not found
If you have readline already installed, see config.log for details on the
failure. It is possible the compiler isn't looking in the proper directory.
Use --without-readline to disable readline support.

psql is not that fun without readline, so I MUST have it, MUST. I went
looking in config.log (it says to do that) and I see:

configure:5800: checking for readline
configure:5837: gcc -o conftest -O2 -L/usr/lib
conftest.c -lreadline -lcrypt -lresolv -lnsl -ldl -lm -lbsd >&5
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetnum'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgoto'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetflag'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `BC'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tputs'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `PC'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetent'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `UP'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetstr'
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
configure:5840: $? = 1
configure: failed program was:
#line 5811 "configure"
#include "confdefs.h"

/* Override any gcc2 internal prototype to avoid an error. */
#ifdef __cplusplus
extern "C"
#endif
/* We use char because int might match the return type of a gcc2
builtin and then its argument prototype would still apply. */
char readline ();
#ifdef F77_DUMMY_MAIN
# ifdef __cplusplus
extern "C"
# endif
int F77_DUMMY_MAIN() { return 1; }
#endif
int
main ()
{
readline ();
;
return 0;
}
configure:5837: gcc -o conftest -O2 -L/usr/lib
conftest.c -ledit -lcrypt -lresolv -lnsl -ldl -lm -lbsd >&5
/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -ledit
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
configure:5840: $? = 1
configure: failed program was:
#line 5811 "configure"
#include "confdefs.h"

/* Override any gcc2 internal prototype to avoid an error. */
#ifdef __cplusplus
extern "C"
#endif
/* We use char because int might match the return type of a gcc2
builtin and then its argument prototype would still apply. */
char readline ();
#ifdef F77_DUMMY_MAIN
# ifdef __cplusplus
extern "C"
# endif
int F77_DUMMY_MAIN() { return 1; }
#endif
int
main ()
{
readline ();
;
return 0;
}
configure:5837: gcc -o conftest -O2 -L/usr/lib
conftest.c -lreadline -ltermcap -lcrypt -lresolv -lnsl -ldl -lm -lbsd >&5
/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -ltermcap
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
configure:5840: $? = 1
configure: failed program was:
#line 5811 "configure"
#include "confdefs.h"

/* Override any gcc2 internal prototype to avoid an error. */
#ifdef __cplusplus
extern "C"

All that looks like it can't load readline, cause of a problem with termcap
(or maybe curses?)
But then I look at my libreadline (from the RPM)
[root(at)localhost lib]# ldd /usr/lib/libreadline.so.4.3
libc.so.6 => /lib/i686/libc.so.6 (0x42000000)
/lib/ld-linux.so.2 => /lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0x80000000)

That looks OK? I don't see readline linking to termcap or curses (shouldn't
it?)
Here's my termcap & ncurses
[root(at)localhost lib]# ldd /lib/libtermcap.so.2.0.8
libc.so.6 => /lib/i686/libc.so.6 (0x42000000)
/lib/ld-linux.so.2 => /lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0x80000000)
[root(at)localhost lib]# ldd /usr/lib/libncurses.so.5.2
libc.so.6 => /lib/i686/libc.so.6 (0x42000000)
/lib/ld-linux.so.2 => /lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0x80000000)

Then I ran ld on libreadline, and I get this:
[root(at)localhost lib]# ld -lreadline
ld: warning: cannot find entry symbol _start; not setting start address
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetnum'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgoto'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetflag'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `BC'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tputs'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `PC'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetent'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `UP'
/usr/lib/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetstr'

Oh snap! what does that all mean? Has anyone seen anything similar? I've
built without readline for now, but I really really like that feature.
Should I just go to 7.3.1? (is it stable? (or stable enough for someone who
runs latest PHP 4.3.0 and Apache 2.0.43 in production (nobody advises
that)?)) Perhaps my RedHat 8.0 is missing something? (I see termcap and
ncurses) in `rpm -q`

Thanks In Advance
/B