The drive-by was aimed at Tim Hudak in London, but one analyst says it was voters who took the bullet.

The Liberals trained their guns on the Progressive Conservative leader Thursday, their ammo comments by his London West candidate who said in a debate no government creates one million jobs.

Jeff Bennett’s blurb was surgically put on YouTube, 17 seconds in all from a 100-minute debate in the riding.

Suddenly, the veteran financial planner found himself in the cross-fire of the other parties who’ve aggressively attacked Hudak’s centrepiece campaign vow that a Tory government’s policies would lead to one million new jobs over eight years.

“London West PC candidate Jeff Bennett publicly denounced Tim Hudak’s bogus ‘million’ jobs scheme,” the Liberals said in a news release.

But it’s clear from Bennett’s full reply he did no such thing, said political scientist Nelson Wiseman at the University of Toronto, who reviewed a longer version of the video for The Free Press.

“This is Liberal propaganda,” he said. “I don’t think people are that stupid (to believe it).”

Such tactics are the kind of thing that eventually turn off voters, Wiseman said.

“These guys are just throwing mud at each other,” he said, adding “that all feeds a cynicism and detachment.”

The dissection of the drive-by came after an NDP supporter posted Bennett’s clip on YouTube.

But even the NDP’s London West candidate says the Liberals twisted what Bennett said at Wednesday’s riding debate.

“He didn’t denounce Hudak,” said Peggy Sattler, who picked off the seat from the Liberals in a byelection last year. “We’ve had a very civil exchange. No one is lobbing pot shots at each other in London West.”

Both the NDP and Liberals were linking to the video to go after Hudak’s central pledge — to make tough changes, including cuts to the public sector and to corporate tax rates, that he says will lead to one million jobs.

In the YouTube clip, Bennett says, “I’m a little disappointed because all the talk is around the Millions Jobs plan and I’m getting some push back on it at the doors and I personally don’t even believe that Mr. Hudak is in a position to create a million jobs. I don’t believe the government creates jobs.”

Problem is, the Liberal media release cut short Bennett’s explanation.

In a video of his full statement the NDP provided to The Free Press, Bennett doesn’t challenge Hudak’s plan — he explains the Tories would reduce barriers so the private sector creates jobs.

“We need to create a better atmosphere for job creation and that’s what our job plan is all about . . . (The Liberal government is) making it difficult for job creators in Ontario to expand . . . We need to change that, bringing electricity rates down, cutting the bureaucracy and lowering taxes,” he said.?

ANATOMY OF THE HIT

The bullet: 16 seconds from London West Tory candidate Jeff Bennett’s remarks at 100-minute riding debate.

The means: YouTube, to which the video clip was posted by an NDP supporter.

The motive: To shoot at PC Leader Tim Hudak’s key election vow, his Million Jobs plan.

The smoking gun: A Liberal news release saying Bennett had denounced the “bogus” plan.

The reality: Fuller video shows that’s not the case.

The reaction: “It wouldn’t be the first time they played fast and loose with the truth,” said Stewart Blair, a Bennett spokesperson