Feb-2014 - mysql-server 12.04 update failure

while applying latest ubuntu server x86_64 mysql-server-5.5.35-0ubuntu0.12.04.2 update, mysql-server becomes completely broken, bruised, battered, botched and b0rked. Unable to start mysql. No lock files, no stale sockets, all tables were working fine prior to update. dpkg is unable to install anything now because mysql-server is unconfigured. aptitude reinstall does not produce a working mysql daemon. no success with aptitude install after after issuing apt-get remove, autoremove, autoclean (and/or equivalent aptitude incantations). Have also tried removing/purging/cleaning/autoremove/autoclean followed by deletion of /etc/mysql as well as all production tables in /var/lib/mysql to no effect. something is simply busted with mysql-server-5.5 update. Curiosly enough, /usr/bin/mysqld_safe DID INDEED start the production mysql instance (prior to apt/aptitude battle this morning).

# start mysql
start: Job failed to start

# stop mysql
stop: Unknown job: mysql

# tail /var/log/kern.log
...
Feb 4 09:20:00 dmz-mysql-1 kernel: [88695.675394] init: mysql pre-start process (25686) terminated with status 1
Feb 4 09:20:08 dmz-mysql-1 kernel: [88703.653419] init: mysql pre-start process (25933) terminated with status 1

# aptitude install libnss-ldap
The following partially installed packages will be configured:
  mysql-server mysql-server-5.5
No packages will be installed, upgraded, or removed.
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B of archives. After unpacking 0 B will be used.
Setting up mysql-server-5.5 (5.5.35-0ubuntu0.12.04.2) ...
start: Job failed to start
invoke-rc.d: initscript mysql, action "start" failed.
dpkg: error processing mysql-server-5.5 (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
                                                              dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of mysql-server:
 mysql-server depends on mysql-server-5.5; however:
  Package mysql-server-5.5 is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing mysql-server (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
                                                              Errors were encountered while processing:
 mysql-server-5.5
 mysql-server
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:
Setting up mysql-server-5.5 (5.5.35-0ubuntu0.12.04.2) ...
start: Job failed to start
invoke-rc.d: initscript mysql, action "start" failed.
dpkg: error processing mysql-server-5.5 (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of mysql-server:
 mysql-server depends on mysql-server-5.5; however:
  Package mysql-server-5.5 is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing mysql-server (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 mysql-server-5.5
 mysql-server