I need Python on a Linux/Unix machine temporarily
Can I run, for example, a Linux Mint LiveCD and then install Python or emulate the install?
Or is a LiveCD strictly for looking at the distribution?
You can install the program if you're using a LIVE CD-RW/USB. Surely you won't be able to install the program in a CD / DVD disk. Speaking in a traditional sense. The program could be "installed" for one-time use. It would be saved in memory. After you reboot, it would disappear. But when using a real live usb, for example, it would be "installed" in the media.