Oliver North

The Republican Party is in its best shape ever in Virginia, and the spirited, high-visibility race for the U.S. Senate nomination now under way may make it even stronger. Last month, George Allen took the oath of office as governor, the first Republican to do so in 12 years. The state's new attorney general is also the first Republican in the job in 12 years. And the 1993 elections produced a record number of Republican state legislators. Democrats have only a five-seat edge in the state House and a four-seat edge in the state Senate.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Ellen R. Sauerbrey and her special guest, Iran-contra figure Oliver L. North, entertained campaign contributors privately last night in an elegant home outside Annapolis.A Sun reporter, who drove down the quarter-mile wooded driveway to a makeshift parking lot, gave his name and was immediately asked to leave. A parking attendant said the name was on a "don't admit" list.About 30 cars were parked on a slight incline leading to the fountain-fronted home of Mike Scarborough, a corporate money manager.

When Congress decided to grant immunity to Oliver North over the objection of the special prosecutor in 1987, this newspaper reluctantly sided with Congress. The suspicion by many in the political and legal communities at the time was that a Watergate-type of presidential abuse of authority may have occurred. Discovering if that were true was more urgent than putting lower-level officials in jail, it seemed at the time.Whether or not that was the right conclusion, there certainly is no reason for Congress to interfere with the end game of the special prosecutor's investigation of the Iran-contra affair.

Ronald Reagan probably owes his career to "the Eleventh Commandment" -- "Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill of Any Fellow Republican." The rule was enunciated by the California Republican chairman in 1966 when Mr. Reagan first ran for office. It stopped attacks on his inexperience during the gubernatorial primary, and Mr. Reagan won the nomination, then the governorship. He has steadfastly obeyed the commandment ever since.Until now. Mr. Reagan's former budget director, James C. Miller III, who is running against Oliver North for the Republican senatorial nomination in Virginia, last week released a letter Mr. Reagan wrote that is highly critical of Mr. North.

Questions, questions. What would Oliver North be like as president? And what are former first couple George and Barbara Bush up to these days? The answers await.* "Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye" (8:30 p.m.-9 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- Promotional spots for this special made it look like a new "Indy" movie, right? Alas, no such luck. The show merely capitalizes on "Raiders of the Lost Ark" stars Karen Allen and John Rhys-Davies to advertise a new thrill ride at Disneyland.

The campaign rhetoric in Virginia's four-way U.S. Senate race is heating up in what is perhaps the nation's most fascinating -- and unpredictable -- election this year.Democratic incumbent Sen. Charles Robb is fighting to keep his seat in a four-way slugfest that includes GOP challenger Oliver North of Iran-contra fame, plus independents Douglas Wilder and J. Marshall Coleman.Mr. Wilder, who in 1989 became the nation's first elected black governor, launched his wildcat bid against long-time foe Mr. Robb after losing the state Democratic Senate primary earlier this year.

What's Oliver North been doing since he spent a couple million dollars trying to win a U.S. Senate seat from Virginia? Judging by his recurring guest spot on "Jag," it looks like he's trying to become a TV star. Sure beats politics."The Simpsons" (6 p.m.-6: 30 p.m., WBFF, Channel 45) -- Homer and Barney compete to become the first average American in space.HTC "Jag" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- An assassin gunning for Boris Yeltsin shoots Meg (Tracey Needham) instead. Bummer. Oliver North guest stars.

WASHINGTON -- The prosecution's principal witness in the trial of a former CIA official wound up his testimony yesterday by insisting that the Reagan administration's covert effort to assist the Nicaraguan rebels in the mid-1980s was an "open secret" long before the operation was publicly disclosed.Alan D. Fiers Jr., who formerly headed the agency's covert operations in Latin America, made his assertions in a mostly tedious round of questioning in the Iran-contra trial of Clair E. George, the agency's former deputy director in charge of covert operations.

It's a night of oldies -- or at least new oldies. "Flipper" has a new show, Oliver North re-surfaces in a fictional role, and Andy Griffith and the Mayberry gang are featured in a cable marathon.* "Flipper" (5 p.m.-6 p.m., WBFF, Channel 45) -- The dynamic dolphin's back! Of course, the aquatic mammal playing the part is new, and so are the humans. But this syndicated show is a new version of the 1964-1967 series about a Florida Keys family.* "Nova: What's New About Menopause" (6 p.m.-7 p.m., MPT, Channels 22, 67)

THE MOST disturbing trend in the contemporary Supreme Court is its exaltation of presidential power. The court has tilted the constitutional balance toward the executive, at the expense of Congress and individual rights.Clarence Thomas will almost certainly intensify that trend if the Senate confirms his nomination to the court. For in his public comments over the last few years he has displayed hostility toward Congress and a worship of the presidency going beyond even this executive-minded court.