Presenting a brand new argument against those pesky, energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs: They make it hard to apply makeup. At least that’s what state Rep. Olivia Cajero Bedford thinks.

As Jim Nintzel discusses this week in the Currents section: During a recent House Commerce Committee Rep. Frank Antenori explained the merits of his bill, HB 2337, which would (and we’re not making this up) assert state rights over the federal government through the protection of incandescent light bulbs.

When Antenori was referring to some restaurants preferring the spherical shape of the old incandescent bulbs to the squiggly shape of most fluorescent bulbs, Cajero Bedford chimed in: “And Mr. Chairman, another good point is it really disturbs the ambiance of putting on makeup.”

This also formed the basis of Cajero-Bradford yea vote on the bulb bill (which only got one “no” vote in the committee):

“It comes down to aesthetics verses environment. Speaking for women, I think there are going to be a lot of unhappy women with these light bulbs and with that I vote yes,” she said.

Check out the Daily Show-ready clip below:

On the same day that state Sen. Jonathan Paton resigned, Tucson City Councilman Rodney Glassman, who is exploring a run for U.S. Sen. John McCain’s seat this year, chimed in with a press release of his own, vowing to stay on the Tucson City Council at least until April so he can work on the city of Tucson’s budget woes.

Glassman tells The Range he sent out the bulletin because he “wanted reassure my constituents that my No. 1 priority is and will continue to be advocating for their priorities during these important upcoming budget discussions.”

But we suspect Glassman, the only Democrat who is talking about a real challenge to McCain, will still make the jump to the campaign trail later this year, especially now that J.D. Hayworth has challenged McCain from the right. Hell, if J.D. pulls off an upset victory, Glassman might actually have a shot at winning in November.

(BTW: I'll be joining Bill Buckmaster over at Arizona Illustrated to interview Hayworth next Tuesday, March 2. Tune in at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 6.)

If Glassman does challenge McCain, he’ll have to give up his City Council seat under Arizona’s resign-to-run law. That means his council colleagues will get to name his replacement.

So far, the only person showing much interest in the seat is Paul Cunningham, son of former state lawmaker and Napolitano budget maven George Cunningham.

We don't pay too much attention to Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, but we really should, given that he wants to take his nutty prosecutorial approach to the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

For anyone who really cares about the rule of law, Sarah Fenske of the Phoenix New Times has a must-read summary of how Thomas bends the law to indict and harass his political opponents:

It's funny, really, to think that Andrew Thomas still imagines he can get to the bottom of anything.

He's lost case after case: Virtually every indictment he's brought against another public official has resulted in dismissal or defeat. He's also lost most of his civil division — and, with it, the ability to hit up law firms seeking county work for campaign contributions. Perhaps as a result, his campaign for Arizona Attorney General is flagging. So far, he's been able to raise just $25,000.

And for all the sound and fury Thomas brought to his December filings against Donahoe and all the alleged "racketeers" in county government, the cases have had little legal success to date.

The county attorney wasn't subpoenaing records to get to the bottom of a credible allegation of wrongdoing. The office was subpoenaing records to see if they could luck into finding something wrong.

And, while they were at it, the expedition was surely a convenient way to derail Tom Irvine's probe into Thomas' conflicts — and to force the county to play ball on budget issues.

"Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio have shown that they are vindictive," says attorney Novak, "and they'll do whatever they can get away with to further their own interests."

The gambit didn't work, of course. Thomas still lost

Pastiche Modern Eatery introduces the Whiskey/Whisky Club. First meeting is tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. Reservations required.

And have you checked out Pastiche's Bedrock Chop? Three and half pound Rib Steak Chop, rosemary demi-glace, chef’s vegetable selection. It appears a bit pricey at $44, until you consider that it can feed a family of four.

Andy Warhol, Muhammad Ali, 1978, one of four screenprints on Bristol Strathmore paper. © 2009 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York. The name, image, and likeness of Muhammad Ali appears courtesy of Muhammad Ali.

The work will be on display as part of Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life and Legends at the Tucson Museum of Art through July 3.

The Tucson Museum of Art will have an opening reception for the show on Friday, Feb. 26.

Later that evening, PowHaus Production will transform the Rialto Theatre into Warhol's Silver Factory for an evening of dance, glitz and glamour.

• Jonathan Paton

Paton has to prevail in a four-way GOP primary that includes fellow vets Jesse Kelly, Brian Miller and Andy Goss before he’ll have a shot at Giffords.

Paton copped to being sad about leaving the District 30 Senate seat he won in 2008 after two terms in the House of Representatives.

“It’s kind of like graduation day,” Paton says. “There’s a certain wistfulness. You never want to leave high school, but you do want to go to college. You never want to leave where you were, but there’s a certain excitement for the next step.”

Shortly after Paton announced his resignation, Pima County Democratic Party chairman Jeff Rogers blasted the erstwhile senator in a press release.

“State Sen. Jonathan Paton's decision to quit mid-session means that his ambition trumps his job description and he'll run from a challenge, if it means running for higher office,” Rogers said. “Paton leaves a legacy of failure at the state's most dire moment. It's a legacy that has Arizona's neighborhood schools ranking dead last in classroom funding. It's a legacy of failed policies that have left Arizona with the nation's largest budget deficit per capita…. And Paton has refused to be a leader, leaving Arizona's legislature without a balanced budget eight months after the constitutional deadline. Now Paton wants a promotion from voters, when any private sector business would fire him for cause."

Paton laughed off Rogers’ attack.

“I got more bills passed into law than any lawmaker last year,” Paton says. “And I’ve got four names for him: Napolitano, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell and Giffords.”

Paton was referencing Democrats Janet Napolitano (who resigned as governor last year to become Homeland Security chief in the Obama administration) and Ann Kirkpatrick,

Tucson Weekly Arts Editor Margaret Regan talked about her new book, The Death of Josseline, with Bill Buckmaster on KUAT-TV's Arizona Illustrated tonight. Watch it after the jump.

We have an excerpt from The Death of Josseline in TW this week. Read it, and buy the book.

• Jim Nintzel

I took Wilco (The Dog) to Flagstaff for the weekend. I think she liked the snow.