I understand the rationale behind #4120, but it seems like it only helps
a narrow set of applications, namely "applications that link dynamically
with the same version of MSVCR90 as Python and that bundle the MSVCR90
DLL and that can't install the VS2008 redist".  In 2.6.1 those apps
don't have to install the VS2008 redist, but every other app needs to
either bundle the runtime DLLs (as a private assembly) or use the
manifest workaround I described above, even if the VS2008 redist is
installed on the system.

The 2.6.0 behavior - requiring the VS2008 redist to be installed - is
hardly perfect (to put it mildly), but in my opinion it's more obvious
and straightforward, and more consistent with the behavior of other
Windows software.