The three 18th Congressional District candidates expressed various degrees of discomfort with the federal financial-industry bailout as they squared off Monday in a debate that touched on a wide range of issues.

The U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and President Bush approved the $700 billion bailout, which some call a rescue plan, last week.

“I am always very nervous when we step into the free market as we have,” said Green Party candidate Sheldon Schafer of Peoria.

Federal officials “precipitously” decided to proceed with the bailout plan, Schafer said. Because the financial crisis is a global one, U.S. leaders probably should have talked first with their counterparts in other countries, he said.

Colleen Callahan, the Democratic nominee in the race, said she would have voted for the final version of the bailout plan if she were in Congress.

The situation was distasteful, she said, adding, “The severity of the situation really dictated, in my opinion, that we did have to do something.”

Republican candidate Aaron Schock, a state representative from Peoria, said that while he generally doesn’t like the idea of government intervention in the private sector, there are exceptions, including the current financial crisis.

“Something had to be done,” he said.

The candidates’ comments came during a televised debate sponsored by the Journal Star, WEEK-TV and the League of Women Voters. WEEK-TV hosted the debate at its East Peoria studio and broadcast the one-hour event.

Callahan, of Kickapoo, Schock and Schafer want to succeed U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood in the House of Representatives. LaHood, R-Peoria, is retiring when his seventh two-year term expires early next year.

One of the other topics that came up Monday was Schock’s statement about a year ago suggesting that selling nuclear arms to Taiwan could convince China to go along with U.S. policy toward Iran. He later backed off the remarks, saying they went too far.

When questioned about his original statement during the debate, Schock said his point was that Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons would pose a threat to the United States and other countries.

“I retracted the statement and we’ve moved on,” he said.

Callahan said such a plan would be “pretty risky economic policy.”

On another subject, all three candidates said the No Child Left Behind federal education initiative needs to be improved.

Despite its name, No Child Left Behind has left some children behind because it was not funded properly, Callahan said.

Schock said if he is elected, he would introduce legislation that would change the way special-needs students are tested to assess whether they meet NCLB standards. It isn’t realistic to think every student will meet those standards within the next few years, he said.

Schafer said a consequence of No Child Left Behind is a reduced emphasis on teaching critical thinking skills. Instead, teachers “teach to the test,” he said.

A panel of journalists, Mike Dimmick of WEEK-TV, Christine Smith of the Journal Star and Shaun Newell of WMBD radio, quizzed the candidates on other topics. Tom McIntyre of WEEK-TV moderated.

Another debate among Callahan, Schafer and Schock is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at MacMurray College in Jacksonville.

Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com.