Ubuntu 11.10: Apt-get / dpkg fails to install anything

 apt-get install -f / apt-get autoremove all fail when the package manager kicks off the dpkg process.

dpkg --configure -a
Setting up base-files (6.4ubuntu5) ...
+ [ ! -e /etc/dpkg/origins/default ]
+ [ configure = configure ]
+ [ = ]
+ install_from_default /usr/share/base-files/nsswitch.conf /etc/nsswitch.conf
+ [ ! -f /etc/nsswitch.conf ]
+ install_from_default /usr/share/base-files/dot.profile /root/.profile
+ [ ! -f /root/.profile ]
+ install_from_default /usr/share/base-files/dot.bashrc /root/.bashrc
+ [ ! -f /root/.bashrc ]
+ install_from_default /usr/share/base-files/profile /etc/profile
+ [ ! -f /etc/profile ]
+ install_from_default /usr/share/base-files/networks /etc/networks
+ [ ! -f /etc/networks ]
+ install_directory srv 755 root
+ [ ! -d /srv ]
+ install_directory opt 755 root
+ [ ! -d /opt ]
+ install_directory etc/opt 755 root
+ [ ! -d /etc/opt ]
+ install_directory var/opt 755 root
+ [ ! -d /var/opt ]
+ install_directory media 755 root
+ [ ! -d /media ]
+ install_directory var/mail 2775 mail
+ [ ! -d /var/mail ]
+ [ ! -L /var/spool/mail ]
+ install_directory run/lock 1777 root
+ [ ! -d /run/lock ]
+ migrate_directory /var/run /run
+ [ ! -L /var/run ]
+ rmdir /var/run
rmdir: failed to remove `/var/run': Directory not empty
dpkg: error processing base-files (--configure):
subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
base-files

Is there a patch, script workaround to circumvent/correct this condition?
Thanks,
Faisal