2008 Alabama Senate Debate: on War & Peace


Jeff Sessions: Pleased with the success of the surge

Sessions and Figures disagree almost totally on the record of President Bush. Sessions supports Bush’s tax cuts and the Iraq invasion, while Figures deplores an administration that plunged the nation’s surplus into the red and sent troops to war on erroneous claims.

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.

Source: 2008 Alabama Senate Debate; Associated Press on www.AL.com Oct 11, 2008

Jeff Sessions: Withdrawal timetable tells enemy when to prepare an attack

Figures said, “I don’t think the Middle East is more stable than it was prior to our invasion of Iraq.” She said she would listen to the military leadership on deciding when to withdraw from Iraq “to not cause more harm.”

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.”

Source: 2008 Alabama Senate Debate; Associated Press on www.AL.com Oct 11, 2008

Vivian Davis Figures: Bush sent troops to war on erroneous claims

Sessions and Figures disagree almost totally on the record of President Bush. Sessions supports Bush’s tax cuts and the Iraq invasion, while Figures deplores an administration that plunged the nation’s surplus into the red and sent troops to war on erroneous claims.

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.

Source: 2008 Alabama Senate Debate; Associated Press on www.AL.com Oct 11, 2008

Vivian Davis Figures: Mideast less stable than before we invaded Iraq

Figures said, “I don’t think the Middle East is more stable than it was prior to our invasion of Iraq.” She said she would listen to the military leadership on deciding when to withdraw from Iraq “to not cause more harm.”

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.”

Source: 2008 Alabama Senate Debate; Associated Press on www.AL.com Oct 11, 2008

  • The above quotations are from 2008 Alabama Senate Debate between US Sen. Jeff Sessions and State Sen. Vivian Davis Figures.
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Candidates and political leaders on War & Peace:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
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GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
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HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)
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AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
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