Python regex

Hey /prog/,
In python can regex flags be used outside of a compiled regex?

I want to do a bunch of matches on HTML tags without having to compile a regex for each one but I need the DOTALL flag to catch newlines.

re.findall(regex, string, flag) doesn't seem to work.

There some kind of meme associated with 7chan's /pr/? I don't lurk the textboards too often.