Sick of hearing about Mike Stone yet? Sorry.

Friend of the Rant Mike Stone (R-Tenn.) is out with a new attack video that’s basically a total lie.

The television spot, paid for by Mike’s campaign, says Democratic challenger Brad Salmon proclaimed himself “Obama’s biggest fan” during a recent candidate forum. This is the closing argument from Stone – be scared of this guy because of some stuff that isn’t true:

Now, take a look at the video of the event in question. This might take you a minute, because you have to skip ahead to the 2-hour-1-minute mark, and volume is pretty bogus. Maybe that’s why Mike made his ad – it takes some work to debunk.

But debunk the Rant will. At the 2-hour-1-minute mark, Salmon responds to a question from forum moderator and Sanford Herald Publisher Bill Horner III about negative mailers.

“Do I agree with the president all the time? No. But I understand how political campaigns work, and I understand that there’s opposition research, and that was what doesn’t poll well in this district. So, ta-da, here I am. I’m Barack Obama’s biggest fan.”

Here at the Rant, we understand that soundbites are common in politics because advertising is expensive and you have to condense your message. But literally taking apart sentences to make them sound completely different is, well, the same as lying. Mike’s campaign committee endorsed the ad, which also falsely claims that Salmon “stroked checks to support Obama’s re-election,” (he didn’t) so he can’t pin this one on a third party.

This is the guy who called Brad Salmon a liar. And this is the guy who the Sanford Herald called a “decisive thinker” and that criticisms of his other deceptions are “unfair and shortsighted” in their endorsement.

It’s the last week of election season. That much is clear.