package sysstat 8.1.2-2ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1

Binary package hint: dpkg

Running from an Ubuntu 8.10 (i386) live CD and while installing onto the hard disk using, I attempted to install dstat/sysstat. I wanted to know how fast the installer was writing to disk. It is ok that the cache folder is locked by another process. In the GUI I got a warning icon that a "crash was detected". I expected the package to install, or refuse to install. I did not expect a crash warning...

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 8.10
Release: 8.10
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo aptitude install sysstat
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  sysstat
0 packages upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 182kB of archives. After unpacking 827kB will be used.
Writing extended state information... Done
Get:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com intrepid/main sysstat 8.1.2-2ubuntu1 [182kB]
Fetched 182kB in 0s (492kB/s)
debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable
Selecting previously deselected package sysstat.
(Reading database ... 102455 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking sysstat (from .../sysstat_8.1.2-2ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Processing triggers for doc-base ...
Processing 23 changed, 1 added doc-base file(s)...
Registering documents with scrollkeeper...
Setting up sysstat (8.1.2-2ubuntu1) ...
debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable
dpkg: error processing sysstat (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:
Setting up sysstat (8.1.2-2ubuntu1) ...
debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable
dpkg: error processing sysstat (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 sysstat
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
Writing extended state information... Done

Running the same command during the "less than one minute remaining" phase of the install process results in the same output:
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo aptitude install sysstat
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
The following partially installed packages will be configured:
  sysstat
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B of archives. After unpacking 0B will be used.
Writing extended state information... Done
debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable
Setting up sysstat (8.1.2-2ubuntu1) ...
debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable
dpkg: error processing sysstat (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 sysstat
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:
Setting up sysstat (8.1.2-2ubuntu1) ...
debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable
dpkg: error processing sysstat (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 sysstat
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done

ProblemType: Package
Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 8.10
ErrorMessage: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Package: sysstat 8.1.2-2ubuntu1
SourcePackage: sysstat
Title: package sysstat 8.1.2-2ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Uname: Linux 2.6.27-7-generic i686