No-compromise conservatives

Interview | Former Senate maverick Jesse Helms calls for tough-minded government spending and tender-hearted Christian charity | Jamie Dean

As House Republicans last month sparred over spending cuts to help pay for a Hurricane Katrina federal relief tab that could top $100 billion, retired Republican Sen. Jesse Helms, dubbed "Senator No" for his resistance to big government and bloated spending, quietly celebrated his 84th birthday at home in Raleigh, N.C.

Mr. Helms, who retired in 2003 after 30 years in the U.S. Senate, has battled prostate cancer and had open heart surgery. His wife of 63 years, Dorothy "Dot" Helms, recently told a North Carolina newspaper that her husband also has memory problems and doesn't accept public speaking engagements. Despite declining health, Mr. Helms recently released his memoirs, Here's Where I Stand, and told WORLD that he still remembers the conservative philosophy that drove his high-profile career.