FWIW, I fixed my apt-get problem by following the old adage: when in doubt, blow it out.
I purged apt from my system, manually ftp'ed (if that's a verb!) apt from the slink/admin directory, and re-installed via dpkg. Apt-get now goes online, gets the potato stable lists with no problem, and starts the upgrade process ('tho I didn't continue 'cause the time estimate was 19 hours!). - Nick [EMAIL PROTECTED]