DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency which already create the Internet) is looking to crowd source the development of the next generation fo miniature military drones.

Meet the Lord's Resistance Army. Nope, not a group with a booth at CPAC. They're the notoriously brutal paramilitary group President Obama has sent troops to Uganda to try to snuff out. See them here.

In today's episode of Campaign in a 100 Seconds, Satan makes a special appearance to discuss the race.

President Obama's letter to Congress notifying it of the deployment of troops to central Africa.

Apparently there was a second Bush-era gun-trafficking sting operation in which ATF allowed weapons to cross the border into Mexico in hopes of tracking them to high-level smugglers. Doesn't sound like any more of a good idea then than when ATF under Obama launched another such sting. The difference is Republicans are pillorying the Obama administration for it.

I've covered the sex abuse scandal in the U.S. Roman Catholic Church for a long time, but I can't say I ever expected to see a bishop actually indicted for covering up abuse, let alone a diocese.

Today, Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to report suspected child abuse by a priest. The diocese was similarly charged and also entered a not guilty plea. The indictment was returned by a Jackson County, Mo., grand jury and unsealed today.

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Fox & Friends: We should have been more clear that our story on Obama apologizing to Japan wasn't true. Watch.

TPM's Thomas Lane has a primer.

If the classic line about not getting bogged down in a land war in Asia is good advice, I'd imagine getting bogged down in land wars in Asia and Africa at the same time would also be ill-advised. More on the U.S. foray into central Africa.

White House to Boehner on Jobs Plan: Did we hit a nerve?

Two days ago, the U.S. deployed combat troops to central Africa to serve as advisers to regional forces battling the Lord's Resistance Army. News of the deployment came a few minutes ago in a http://www.scribd.com/doc/68791891/2011lra-idl">letter dated today from President Obama to John Boehner (R-OH), speaker of the House, and Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), president pro tempore of the Senate. The letter was released publicly by the White House.

A total of 100 combat-equipped troops will eventually be deployed, with the rest being dispatched in the next month, according to the letter. "However, although the U.S. forces are combat-equipped, they will only be providing information, advice, and assistance to partner nation forces, and they will not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for self-defense," Obama writes.

We'll have more on this surprise move and what exactly the LRA is shortly.

Rick Perry's wife Anita says she and her husband have been "brutalized" by the press and his opponents because of his deep Christian faith. Watch.

Perry energy plan: Tell "environmental bureaucrats" to "stand down."

How the big showdown at Occupy Wall Street this morning ended up not happening.

The dismal economy isn't just affecting people's bottom line. The US birth rate has dropped dramatically as the economy has tanked. Check out this chart.

Looking at the chart it seems like only two states, both pretty flat, have managed to buck the trend.

Experts say Rick Perry's plan to have the US military fight drug cartels in Mexico might not work out so well.

Mitt Romney has reported his money take for the 3rd quarter. And it's significantly behind Rick Perry's -- $14 million and change to $17 million. But most of that was probably raised during Perry brief era of awesomeness. Curious whether he's outraising Mitt now.

Gallup: Public support for the death penalty hits a 39-year low -- but still gets 61 percent approval.

Rick Perry's wife, Anita: "We are being brutalized by our opponents, and our own party. So much of that is, I think they look at him because of his faith."

I don't want to make too much of this. But something finally dawned on me when I saw the news today that a group of Republican senators were introducing what they called a "real" American jobs bill. Then today Speaker Boehner spoke to President Obama and volubly denied the president's claim that House Republicans lacked any jobs proposals. And Boehner's office sent out this email 'read out' of the call.

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