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OUTLOOK TED KOPPEL’S TAKE ON CABLE NEWS
SPORTS TERPS RALLY, TROUNCE CAVALIERS
MAGAZINE MISS RODEO VIRGINIA’S WILD RIDE
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SajidMir,who has eluded authorities on four continents, allegedly led Lashkar-i-Taiba’s bloody siege onMumbai inNovember 2008.U.S. officials, at first slowto register the Pakistani group’s threat, are pressing the hunt forMir and others before they can attack aWestern target again.
AT ODDS WITH PETRAEUS
Afghan president thanks Americans for aid
BY JOSHUA PARTLOW
kabul — President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that the United States must reduce the visibility and intensity of its mili- tary operations in Afghanistan andendthe increasedU.S. Special Operations forces night raids that aggravate Afghans and could ex- acerbate the Taliban insurgency. InaninterviewwithTheWash-
SOLDIERS SWEEPIN
GETTY IMAGES AND REUTERS FILE PHOTOS 1The Indian army put down the Lashkar-i-Taiba terrorist group’s three-day siege on Mumbai in 2008, which left 166 dead—including six Americans.
ON THE TRAIL of a terrorist
BY SEBASTIAN ROTELLA ProPublica
O
n a November night two years ago, a young Ameri- canrabbiandhispregnant wife finished dinner at their home in the mega- city ofMumbai. Gavriel and Rivka
Holtzberg had come to India on a religious mission. They had established India’s first outpost of Chabad Lubavitch, the Orthodox Jewish organization, in a six-story tower overlooking a shantytown. The Holtzbergs’ guests that eveningwere two American rab- bis, an Israeli grandmother and a Mexican tourist. Hundreds of miles away in Pakistan, a
terrorist chief named SajidMir was prepar- ing a different sort of religiousmission.Mir hadspent twoyearsusingaPakistani-Ameri- can operative named David Coleman Head- leytoconductmeticulous reconnaissanceon Mumbai, according to investigators and court documents. He had selected iconic targets and the Chabad House, a seemingly obscure choice, but one that ensured that Jews andAmericanswould be casualties. On Nov. 26, 2008,Mir sat amongmilitant
chiefs in a Pakistani safe house tracking an attack team as its dinghy approached the
Mumbai waterfront. The Lashkar-i-Taiba terrorist group had made Mir the project manager of its biggest strike ever, the crown- ing achievement of his career as a holy warrior. The 10 gunmen split into five teams. His
voice crisp and steady, Mir directed the slaughter by phone, relaying detailed in- structions to his fighters. About 10:25 p.m., gunmen stormed the Chabad House. They shot the Holtzbergs and the visiting rabbis, took the Israeli grandmother and Mexican tourist hostage and barricaded themselves on an upper floor. Mir told his men to try to trade the
hostages for a gunman who had been cap- tured. Mir spoke directly to the Mexican hostage, 50-year-old Norma Rabinovich, who had been preparing tomove to Israel to join her adult children. Mir soothed the sobbing woman in ac-
cented but smooth English. “Save your energy for good days,”Mir told
her during the call intercepted by Indian intelligence. “If they contact right now,may- be you gonna, you know, celebrate your Sabbathwith your family.” The prisoner swap failed.Mir ordered the
gunman to “get rid” ofRabinovich. “Standheruponthis side of yourdoor,”he
said. “Shoot her such that the bullet goes attacks continued onA14
pushes F off grade book The change in educational phi- BY DONNA ST. GEORGE Depending on whom you ask,
WestPotomacHighSchool’s latest change to student grading is ei- ther another sign of a coddled generation or a necessary step to helpstruggling kids. The dreaded F has been all but
banishedfromthe grade books. The report cards that arrived
home late last week showed few failinggradesbut insteadmarksof “I” for incomplete, indicating that students still owe their teachers essential work. They will get Fs onlyif theyfail tocompleteassign- mentsandlearnthe content inthe months to come.
ARTS & STYLE....................E1 BUSINESS NEWS...............G1 CLASSIFIEDS.....................K1
losophy is intended to encourage students to continue working to- ward mastery of material rather than accepting a failing grade and moving on. Schools throughout the Washington area and the na- tion have made other moves to improve grading methods, espe- cially as they affect low-perform- ing students, though few have gone so far asWestPotomacHigh, in the Alexandria section of Fair- faxCounty. “It’sahugeparadigmshift,”said
principal Clifford Hardison, who recalls thatwhen year-end grades weretalliedlastJuneatWestPoto-
grades continued onA11
COMICS......................INSERT EDITORIALS/LETTERS.....A22 LOTTERIES.........................C4
OUTLOOK...........................B1 OBITUARIES....................C7-9 STOCKS..........................G6-8
TRAVEL..............................F1 WEATHER.........................C10 WORLD NEWS.............A12-20
West Potomac High
TAJMAHAL HOTEL
1The Taj Mahal hotel, popular withWesterners, was engulfed in smoke during a gun battle between the army and militant fighters.
CHABAD HOUSE
1Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz surveys the battle- scarred Chabad House, a Jewish cultural and religious center, that was targeted in the attack.
ington Post, Karzai said that he wanted American troops off the roads and out of Afghan homes and that the long-term presence of somany foreign soldiers would only worsen the war. His com- ments placed him at odds with U.S. commander Gen. David H. Petraeus, who has made capture- and-kill missions a central com- ponent of his counterinsurgency strategy, and who claims the 30,000 new troops have made
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Karzai calls on U.S. to lighten troop presence
‘Transition’ in
Afghanistan war U.S. and European officials say plans to begin turning over security control by spring will be announced at NATO summit. A19
substantial progress in beating back the insurgency. “The time has come to reduce
military operations,” Karzai said. “The time has come to reduce the presence of, you know, boots in Afghanistan. . . toreducetheintru- siveness into thedailyAfghanlife.” Karzai’s comments come as
American officials are playing down the importance of July 2011 —thedatePresidentObamaset to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan — in favor of a combat mission ending in 2014. The Afghan president has placed himself squarely in favor of a lighter military footprint as the administration reviews the prog- ress of the Afghan war and debate intensifies about the pace of the withdrawal. Karzai says his troops are ready to take more responsibility for their own secu- rity.
karzai continued onA18 Development money
in Pr. George’s County’s legacy of scandal
BY MIRANDA S. SPIVACK, OVETTAWIGGINS AND CAROLMORELLO
Development deals have been
at the center of Prince George’s County’s most contentious politi- cal fights for decades, the source of its highest hopes and deepest embarrassments. The wins have included luring
the Redskins from the District, creating a tourist and shopping destination at National Harbor and, most recently, persuading Wegmans,
the Rochester,
N.Y.-based grocer with a cultlike following, toopena mega-store in a county that has long been shunned by upscale retailers. But the arrests of County Exec- utive Jack B. Johnson (D) and his
Nowon the iPad:
is blessing and curse Johnson’s arrest latest
wife, Leslie Johnson, on Friday as part of a federal probe of political corruption in Prince George’s are a reminder that the money swirl- ingaroundbigdevelopmentdeals canbebothablessingandacurse. In a recent interview with The
Washington Post outlining his achievements during his eight years as executive, Jack Johnson said he was “very, very proud” of his development record. Two weeks later, according to
an FBI affidavit, the Johnsons were overheard on a wiretap plot- ting how to rid themselves of a potentially
incriminating
$100,000 check from a developer and hide wads of cash totalling $79,600. They could each face 20 years in prison if convicted. “Upper Marlboro has devel-
oped a reputation for having a pay-to-play atmosphere, and you
johnson continued onA8
l This week could bring additional arrests. A8
WashingtonPost Enjoy an immersive news experience with TheWashington Post App for the iPad, now available in the App Store. Features include:
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wapo.st/ipad_app.
‘Soul-searching’ inside the White House Obama shifts tack
Obama aides say losses a wake-up call as they shape new strategy
BY ANNE E. KORNBLUT Afternearly twoweeks of intro-
spection, President Obama’s top advisers have concluded that the “shellacking” Democrats took on Election Day was caused in large part by their own failure to live up to expectations set during the 2008 campaign, not merely the typical political cycles and poor messaging theypointedto at first. Whilethepresidenthasbeenon
a trip to Asia for the past 10 days, allbut a fewofhis topaides stayed behind to figure outwhatwent so
Printed using recycled fiber FOREIGNPOLICY
on Asia tour To strengthen America’s image, he now points to his policies, not his personal narrative. A16
THETAKE
State-level gains Republicans can work their will in the states in ways they can’t think about in Washington. A2
wrong and what to do about it. Wearing casual clothes and with the White House to themselves, theydeterminedthat thesituation they face is serious and will take significant adjustments to re- verse.
DAILY CODE Details, C2
8 3 2 7
The advisers are deeply con-
cerned aboutwinning back politi- cal independents, who supported Obama two years ago by an eight- pointmargin but backedRepubli- cans for theHouse this year by 19 points. To do so, they think he must forge partnerships with Re- publicans on key issues andmake noticeable progress on his oft-re- peated campaign pledge to change theways ofWashington. Even more important, senior
administration officials said, Obamawill need to oversee tangi- bleimprovements intheeconomy. They cannot just keep arguing, as Democrats did during the recent campaign, that thingswould have been worse if not for administra- tionpolicies.
obama continued onA6
The Washington Post Year 133, No. 344
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