Can't connect to socket in Debian distribution

I'm trying to set up my first postgreSQL system using the Debian distribution. I'm using the currently stable (woody) version, and have these packages installed:
www2:/etc/postgresql# dpkg -l |grep -i postgresql
ii libpgsql2 7.2.1-2woody2 Shared library libpq.so.2 for PostgreSQL
ii postgresql 7.2.1-2woody2 Object-relational SQL database, descended fr
ii postgresql-cli 7.2.1-2woody2 Front-end programs for PostgreSQL

When I try to run psql as root, I get this error:
www2:/etc/postgresql# psql -p mnogosearch mnogosearch
psql: could not connect to server: No such file or directory
Is the server running locally and accepting
connections on Unix domain socket "/var/run/postgresql/.s.PGSQL.0"?

When I list /var/run/postgresql, sure enough, there's no .s.PGSQL.0:
www2:/etc/postgresql# ls -la /var/run/postgresql/
total 12
drwxr-xr-x 2 postgres postgres 4096 Nov 13 15:56 .
drwxr-xr-x 8 root root 4096 Nov 27 06:26 ..
srwxrwxrwx 1 postgres postgres 0 Nov 13 15:56 .s.PGSQL.5432
-rw------- 1 postgres postgres 29 Nov 13 15:56 .s.PGSQL.5432.lock

Yet, if I change to the mnogosearch user, I seem to have no problems:
www2:/etc/postgresql# su mnogosearch
www2:/etc/postgresql$ psql mnogosearch
Welcome to psql, the PostgreSQL interactive terminal.
[snip]
mnogosearch=> \d
List of relations
Name | Type | Owner
-------------+----------+-------------
dict | table | mnogosearch
[snip]
stopword | table | mnogosearch
url | table | mnogosearch
(18 rows)

mnogosearch=>

I would like some advice on how to fix this problem. I'd like to stay as close as possible to the Debian system. Is this something I can fix in a configuration file or on the command line of the startup of postmaster or psql?

Thanks for your advice.

-Kevin Zembower

-----
E. Kevin Zembower
Unix Administrator
Johns Hopkins University/Center for Communications Programs
111 Market Place, Suite 310
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-659-6139