It's not yet Labor Day, but already -- as promised -- the 19th District Senate race is creating more buzz than any political campaign ever seen in Ventura County.

Today, the liberal activist group called the Courage Campaign launched a viral Internet ad challenging Republican Tony Strickland's claims of environmental advocacy. It consists of a YouTube video that is loosely based on Steven Colbert's "The Word" segment -- in which printed messages covey a message that contradicts the visual image being shown. The Courage Campaign sent an email to its members, with a form to spread the link to others. I received about a half-dozen such emails between 1 and 3 this afternoon.

Here's the video.