Andi O'Bert gets picture proof that she met President Bush at Tim Bee's fundraiser in Tucson. Bee is at far right.

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When President Bush dropped in last week for Republican congressional candidate Tim Bee, everyone wondered whether the duo would appear together, providing the media — and Demo-crats — with a photo-op.

It never happened, and the Bee campaign insisted that had nothing to do with Bush's record low approval rating (28 percent on a good day).

Lo and behold, it was 10-year-old Andi O'Bert who managed to accidentally get what everyone else wanted. Andi, a student in the Vail Unified School District, accompanied school board member Anne Gibson to the event, and Bush took an interest in the fifth-grader — she didn't even need to pay the normal $10,000 to get a photo with him.

But the shot (taken on a cell phone, see Page B2) did turn out to be priceless. Bee, running against Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, can be spotted right over Bush's shoulder. And after the Vail Sun published the photo, the liberal blogosphere had a field day with it. Finally, the conservative blog Sonoran Alliance weighed in, claiming to have the official photo — one with Bee's head blurred out.

As for Andi, Gibson said the fifth-grader had an unforgettable experience meeting the president.

One of the only kids in the audience, she was even able to digest the president's 20-minute speech about politics and foreign policy. "We got in the car, and she understood all of it," Gibson said.

Meanwhile, Gov. Janet Napolitano made her way down to Tucson this week to do some fundraising for Giffords, calling her "forward-thinking" in front of a paying crowd of about 300 on Monday.

Like the Bush event, this one was private. Well, it was supposed to be. The $25-a-pop get- together was held in the atrium of the Viscount Suites on Broadway, so it wasn't really top secret.

Still, it makes you wonder: Was Giffords' event just a stunt to contrast Bee's $1,000-a-head Bushfest?

"One could look at it like that," said campaign manager Zach Wineburg, adding the support of the popular Napolitano is appreciated.

In any case, those who looked really closely may have noticed something a little different about Napolitano. Her signature short hairdo is getting kinda long, sweeping down to her neck.

"I'm wearing it a little differently, thank you," the governor playfully admitted to reporters during her Wednesday' press conference at the Capitol, before quickly changing topics.

A rather barb-free debate was held Tuesday night among three Democrats, including the two incumbents, for District 27's two state House seats. But at least one response from an audience-posed question did cause some eyebrow-raising.

House Minority Leader Phil Lopes, seeking his fourth term, told the crowd he does not agree with the idea that paying state legislators more will lead to better performances, and therefore he feels the initiative on the November ballot to bump the salary from $24,000 to $30,000 a year will once again be defeated.

"There's no correlation between pay and quality," he said.

But don't get Phil wrong — he'd still take the money.

"I'll probably vote for it, because it's a symbolic gesture," said Lopes, facing a challenge from former state Rep. John Kromko.

Fellow incumbent Olivia Cajero Bedford, also seeking a fourth-term, said she hopes it passes. That way, legislators like outgoing District 25 Rep. Jennifer Burns — who cited financial difficulty in her decision not to run again — don't get squeezed out.

"I'm making now what I made in 1978," Cajero Bedford said.

Beginning next week, Political Notebook will move to Sundays and Wednesdays to keep up with all the news on the campaign trail.

Political Notebook

Daniel Scarpinato