--- /usr/lib/python2.7/argparse.py	2012-04-20 16:35:44.000000000 -0700
+++ argparse.py	2012-06-22 14:50:27.125697621 -0700
@@ -1886,6 +1886,13 @@
 
             # slice off the Positionals that we just parsed and return the
             # index at which the Positionals' string args stopped
+            if positionals[-1].nargs == '*' and arg_counts[-1] == 0 \
+                and start_index != len(arg_strings_pattern):
+                    # don't accept an empty match for nargs='*' positionals
+                    # until we are at the end of the argument list and know
+                    # for sure that there isn't anything forthcoming to fill
+                    # it with:
+                    arg_counts.pop()
             positionals[:] = positionals[len(arg_counts):]
             return start_index