--- inspect.bak01.py	Sun Jul 03 22:20:32 2011
+++ inspect.py	Sat Mar 17 02:57:21 2012
@@ -89,33 +89,38 @@
 def ismethoddescriptor(object):
     """Return true if the object is a method descriptor.
 
     But not if ismethod() or isclass() or isfunction() are true.
 
     This is new in Python 2.2, and, for example, is true of int.__add__.
     An object passing this test has a __get__ attribute but not a __set__
     attribute, but beyond that the set of attributes varies.  __name__ is
     usually sensible, and __doc__ often is.
 
     Methods implemented via descriptors that also pass one of the other
     tests return false from the ismethoddescriptor() test, simply because
     the other tests promise more -- you can, e.g., count on having the
     __func__ attribute (etc) when an object passes ismethod()."""
-    return (hasattr(object, "__get__")
-            and not hasattr(object, "__set__") # else it's a data descriptor
-            and not ismethod(object)           # mutual exclusion
-            and not isfunction(object)
-            and not isclass(object))
+    try:
+        result = (hasattr(object, "__get__")
+                 and not hasattr(object, "__set__") # else it's a data descriptor
+                 and not ismethod(object)           # mutual exclusion
+                 and not isfunction(object)
+                 and not isclass(object))
+    except Exception as whichone:
+        # print('dbg: ismethoddescriptor('+repr(object)+') failed, exception='+repr(whichone))
+        result = False
+    return result
 
 def isdatadescriptor(object):
     """Return true if the object is a data descriptor.
 
     Data descriptors have both a __get__ and a __set__ attribute.  Examples are
     properties (defined in Python) and getsets and members (defined in C).
     Typically, data descriptors will also have __name__ and __doc__ attributes
     (properties, getsets, and members have both of these attributes), but this
     is not guaranteed."""
     return (hasattr(object, "__set__") and hasattr(object, "__get__"))
 
 if hasattr(types, 'MemberDescriptorType'):
     # CPython and equivalent
     def ismemberdescriptor(object):