Jeff Sessions in 2008 Alabama Senate Debate

On Principles & Values: Declines debate challenge from Vivian Figures

Figures actually dropped by Sessions’ Mobile office Monday to deliver the debate challenge, but no one was at work on the Columbus Day holiday. So, Figures said she faxed and e-mailed the debate challenge to Sessions Tuesday As of late Tuesday, Figures said, she had not received a response from the Sessions campaign.

The state director for Sessions, said the campaign had received nothing from Figures. “We haven’t received anything to respond to,” he said, adding that Figures should have approached them months ago. “We debated in 1996 and 2002 and in each case the details of those debates were worked out months ahead of time. This is something we’re not going to be discussing,” he said.

On Budget & Economy: Bailout well-intentioned, but too much federal intervention

Figures said people are “really finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. Look where we are. We went from a nation in the black to a nation in the red. Now we’re up to trillions of dollars in the red,” she said. “My opponent voted with the president 98 percent of the time.”

But Sessions broke with the Bush administration in voting against the financial bailout bill on Oct. 1. “Though well-intentioned, the administration’s plan represents unprecedented governmental intervention in the economy,” Sessions said in a statement. Sessions said he doesn’t believe in “protecting reckless investors” but supports “maintaining a healthy framework for investment.”

Figures said she doesn’t think anybody will be immune from the financial crisis. Without action by Congress, she said more jobs will be lost.

On Energy & Oil: Surge in gas prices sucks out American wealth

Sessions, who serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said he has pumped gas at stations across the state while campaigning.

“I’ve seen people in Mobile buy $5 worth of gas. That’s all they had,“ he said. ”It just drives home that this surge in gasoline prices is sucking out large amounts of our American wealth that they could otherwise be using on other things important to them.“

Figures said people are ”really finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. You hear that more than anything else--economy and gas prices.“

On Tax Reform: Bush tax cuts have helped the economy

Figures said people are “really finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. You hear that more than anything else--economy and gas prices.“

”Look where we are. We went from a nation in the black to a nation in the red. Now we’re up to trillions of dollars in the red,“ she said. ”My opponent voted with the president 98 percent of the time.“

But Sessions said the Bush tax cuts have helped the economy and he would vote to make them permanent. However, he broke with the Bush administration in voting against the financial bailout bill on Oct. 1.

On War & Peace: Pleased with the success of the surge

On the Iraq war, Sessions said he “could not be more proud and pleased with the success of the surge and the progress in the last two years.”

“I think if we can continue this progress in Iraq and it emerges as a strong and decent country that’s independent and stable, it would be a very positive development for the Middle East,“ said Sessions, who has visited U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and neighboring countries multiple times as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Figures said she was not in a position to visit Iraq or Afghanistan. ”I was against the war from the beginning,“ she said. She said no weapons of mass destruction were found. ”Iraq was not responsible for 9/11,“ she said.

On War & Peace: Withdrawal timetable tells enemy when to prepare an attack

Sessions said he hopes the US can withdraw “as soon as we possibly can. That’s my goal.” He said announcing a withdrawal timetable would be a “mistake--clearly not sound policy. It just tells our enemy when they should be prepared to attack.”