Don't miss 'Senator No'

Here’s a don’t-miss program for Tuesday evening TV: “Senator No: Jesse Helms,” airing at 9 p.m. Tuesday on UNC-TV. It’s a 90-minute documentary that tracks Helms from his childhood days in Monroe to the peak of his power in Washington and his late-career turn toward supporting help for AIDS victims in Africa in conjunction with rock star Bono.

It’s a fascinating account filled with detail – from recollections by his high school principal and the note that he was ranked most obnoxious in his high school superlatives listing through his disdain for the Civil Rights movement and contempt for social change, his rise to chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and his close work with the State Department diplomats he once liked to ridicule and excoriate.

There are interesting revelations, including some candid comments from former campaign aide Carter Wrenn about the Helms’ campaign’s use of racial appeals to win reelection and insightful comments about his place in American politics from Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard, UVa political scientist Larry Sabato and the News & Observer’s Rob Christensen.

It’s also compelling to see, through still pictures, film and tape, Helms growing from a gawky young man into the powerful, vibrant leader of the New Right and then slowing down as his health and his power began to wane with age. It’s worth watching.