ABCDE Mostly sunny 78/59 • Tomorrow Sunny 78/58 • details, B10 Not just another face in the crowd THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2010


AFGHANS WILL MAKE DECISIONS


Foreign law enforcers in two key groups targeted


BY RAJIV CHANDRASEKARAN Afghan President Hamid


Karzai intends to impose rules restricting international involve- ment inanti-corruptioninvestiga- tions,amovethatU.S.officialsfear will hobble efforts to address the endemic graft that threatens sup- port for his administration in Af- ghanistanandtheUnitedStates. Karzai wants to circumscribe


RICKY CARIOTI/THE WASHINGTON POST


Thousands of sunflowers—and Claudia Cleveland of Baltimore, who was there to photograph them—had plenty of sunshineWednesday at ClearMeadow Farm near Jarrettsville, Md. The farm, north of Baltimore, is a roadside attraction, with more than 300 acres of sunflowers.


Debate may drown out quiet 9/11 reflections


With post-attack unity lost, disputes over Islam could color anniversary


BY DAN BALZ AND JON COHEN For almost a decade, the annu-


al commemoration of the terror- ist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has been seen as a day of national unity and sober remembrance. This year, contentious issues of religious freedom and national identity threaten to color the ninth anniversary of those tragic events. Controversies over calls to


burn the Koran and an ongoing debate over a proposed mosque and Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero in New York are drawing particular attention as the anniversary nears, sparking questions about how 9/11 be- came so politicized. The reality is that, with rare


exceptions, themeaning of those attacks has rarely been free of political overtones or debate. Common ground in the months after the attacks quickly gave way to partisan division over combating terrorism. What may be different this year is that earlier debates about who was “strong” in the fight against terrorism and who was not have been supplanted by questions about Islam and religious free- dom. Terry Jones, the pastor of a


small church in Florida,wants to build a bonfire out of copies of the Koran on Saturday. That has brought condemnation across the spectrum. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, has warned that images of Islam’s holy book in flames could endan- ger the lives of U.S. forces. Both


anniversary continued on A9 D.C.MAYORALELECTION


Mixed views of Gray’s DHS work Observers say tenure


was not transformative, but not a disaster


BY ANN E.MARIMOW, HENRI E. CAUVIN AND TIM CRAIG


When Sharon Pratt ran for


mayor in 1990, she proclaimed herself a reformer, promising to clean up the District bureaucracy “with a shovel, not a broom.” One of her first tasks after her


election was persuading Vincent C. Gray, not then a member of the city’s governing class, to take over the troubled Department of Hu- man Services, a sprawling agency that was widely viewed as lacking the structure, discipline and


funds to fulfill its responsibilities to those who relied on it for medical care, food stamps and shelter. Nearly two decades later, as


Gray challenges incumbent Adri- an M. Fenty for the Democratic mayoral nomination, Fenty and others have seized on Gray’s re- cord at DHS, saying he was an ineffective bureaucrat who mis- managed funds and helped bring the District to the brink of bank- ruptcy. In interviews with more than


two dozen former and current activists, lawyers and govern- mentofficials,however,most said


l Robert McCartney: Gray has demonstrated


a knack for political timing. B1


Unintended consequences


the role of American and other foreign law enforcement special- ists in two key anti-corruption or- ganizations in the InteriorMinis- try by not allowing them to have direct involvement in investiga- tions. “The management will be Af-


that Gray—now theD.C. Council chairman — delivered incremen- tal progress at DHS and that he was a hands-on manager who cared for those whom the depart- ment sought to help. ButGray,whoseservice asDHS


director was bookended by ad- ministrations of four-term mayor Marion Barry (D), did not trans- form an agency that by all ac- counts needed nothing less. He did not make significant, lasting changes, according to observers, in part because his ambitions were no match for the deep-root- ed fiscal and political challenges of governing the District during the national recession of the early 1990s. “They weren’t moving full


enough or fast enough, but it was gray continued on A6


ghan, and the decision-makers will be Afghan, and the investiga- tors will be Afghan,” Mohammad Umer Daudzai, Karzai’s chief of staff, saidina telephone interview Wednesday. Foreign advisers, most of whom work for the U.S. Justice Department, will be limit- ed to “training and coaching, but notdecision-making,”he said. Concern aboutKarzai’swilling-


ness to root out corruption has emerged as a flashpoint in the U.S.-Afghan relationship, with Americanofficials arguing thathe has not done enough to demand accountability and Karzai main- taining that the problemhas been fueled by the influx of billions of dollars inforeignassistance. The planned changes have


alarmedU.S.officials inKabuland Washingtonandpromptedefforts to try to persuade Karzai and his advisers to softenthe restrictions. “What he’s proposingwould ef-


fectively neuter these two bodies,” said a U.S. official involved in Af- ghanistanpolicy. Daudzai said Karzai also plans


to prevent the U.S. government karzai continued on A12


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Karzai seeks to restrict U.S. role in graft inquiries


Suit is dismissed


in rendition case Damages had been sought from a private company that worked with the CIA as part of its program. A2


KABULBANK on U.S. effort


BY DAVID NAKAMURA AND ERNESTO LONDONO


kabul — Kabul Bank became the pride of Afghanistan’s finan- cial systemby offering the conve- niences and thrills of 21st-centu- ry capitalism: branches in far- flung provinces, plentiful ATMs, and lottery prizes of cash and houses. But the scene outside the


bank’s headquarters Wednesday was far from that modern ideal: Police used batons to beat back hundreds of government em- ployees desperate to cash their paychecks amid fears that Kabul Bankwill go bankrupt because of alleged corruption among its top executives. This rapid turnabout in Kabul


Bank’s fortunes has led Afghans to question whether Western- style free-market capitalism is just another brokenU.S. promise, along with secure neighbor- hoods, transparent elections and ambitious development. Many here blame the United States, saying it did not provide strong oversight and alleging American complicity in last week’s finan- cialmeltdown. “The problem with the U.S. is


they always implement the mod- ern formula in Afghanistan, and that’s not possible in a country like this,” said Siddiq Ahmad Usmani, chairman of the Afghan parliament’s Budget and Finance Committee. “They’re responsible


kabul continued on A12


Obama’s tax-credit plan getting a cool reception


Economists, businesses and even vulnerable Democrats criticize idea


BY JIA LYNN YANG


AND LORI MONTGOMERY Facing a rising jobless rate and


the possibility of a GOP blowout in the November midterm elec- tions, President Obama sought Wednesday to convince voters that he is charting a new path to revive the American economy. But Obama’s proposal for


RICKY CARIOTI/THE WASHINGTON POST


Small Savers Child Development Center in the District will probably have to close because the new financial reform lawis dissolving the federal agency that houses the center. Small Savers parents, who include WhiteHouse staffers,World Bankers and journalists, are lobbying legislators and federal officials to keep the center open. Above, center employee Kimberly Payton and some students. Story, A19.


INSIDE LOCALLIVING1 Voters


guides D.C. and Maryland residents will find guides to next week’s primary elections in Local Living. Virginia residents will receive community news.


BUSINESS NEWS..............A14 CLASSIFIEDS......................F1 COMICS..............................C7


EDITORIALS/LETTERS.....A20 FED PAGE.........................A19 RELIABLE SOURCE.............C2


KIDSPOST........................C10 LOTTERIES.........................B5 MOVIES..............................C5


DEATHS John Kluge, 95


The self-made billionaire was a major benefactor of the Library of Congress. B1


THENATION Spreading the blame


A long-awaited BP report on the gulf oil spill stresses that “no single factor” caused the disaster. A8


OBITUARIES.......................B7 TELEVISION.......................C6 WORLD NEWS..................A10


THEWORLD Clinton’s take on Mexico


“ It’s looking


more and more like Colombia looked20 years ago.”


—Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a foreign policy address in Washington that also trumpeted a “new American moment” in world affairs. A18


Printed using recycled fiber


DAILY CODE Details, B2


8 7 0 8 2PROFOOTBALL


NFL season kicks off tonight


The Saints and quarterback Drew Brees begin their defense of the Super Bowl championship against the Vikings. D1


Redskins: McNabb “ready to go.” D1





The Washington Post Year 133, No. 278


CONTENT © 2010


$180 billion in fresh infrastruc- ture spending and business tax breaks is not satisfying many of the groups he needs on his side— not lawmakers on Capital Hill who are leery of raising the deficit by spending more, not


Do as Rahm does? The expected departure of


Obama’s chief of staff could be just the beginning of an administration shake-up. A3 Opinion: David S. Broder on the next phase of the Obama presidency. A21


economists who say the plan is too modest to create many jobs, and not business groups that say the tax benefits come with too many strings attached. Even some vulnerable Demo-


crats — who have been begging the White House for a jobs strategy to present to recession- battered voters — quickly con- demned the president’s latest proposal, suggesting that it bears an uncomfortable resemblance


credit continued on A15


Crisis casts new doubt


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