what is the easiest way to install cURL? Do i need to recompile php with cURL support?

If you need cURL in PHP, yes, you have to recompile it.

You can compile cURL using:

./configure --with-ssl=/usr
make && make install

if you need openssl and if its in /usr

./configure --prefix=/usr/bin --with-ssl=/usr/bin/openssl
make
make install

this is what i get
Making install in docs
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/admin/curl-7.9.8/docs'
Making install in examples
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/admin/curl-7.9.8/docs/examples'
make[3]: Entering directory `/home/admin/curl-7.9.8/docs/examples'
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'.
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/admin/curl-7.9.8/docs/examples'
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/admin/curl-7.9.8/docs/examples'
Making install in libcurl
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/admin/curl-7.9.8/docs/libcurl'
make[3]: Entering directory `/home/admin/curl-7.9.8/docs/libcurl'
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
/bin/sh ../../mkinstalldirs /usr/bin/man/man3
mkdir /usr/bin/man
mkdir: cannot create directory `/usr/bin/man': File exists
mkdir /usr/bin/man/man3
mkdir: cannot create directory `/usr/bin/man/man3': Not a directory
make[3]: *** [install-man3] Error 255
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/admin/curl-7.9.8/docs/libcurl'
make[2]: *** [install-am] Error 2
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/admin/curl-7.9.8/docs/libcurl'
make[1]: *** [install-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/admin/curl-7.9.8/docs'
make: *** [install-recursive] Error 1

whats up with that?

Did you tried with just
./configure --with-ssl=/usr/bin/openssl ?

[root@ns admin]# cd /usr/local/bin/
[root@ns bin]# ./curl http://www.westcoastmafia.com
./curl: error in loading shared libraries: libcurl.so.2: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
[root@ns bin]#

when did you got that error?

i got it working :D