Update and Correction: I have been in touch with a producer of the video this afternoon and have learned that my suspicions about the motives behind it were unfounded. He told me he is a supporter of Pres. Obama.

He also told me, via email, “Really, my biggest desire is that it gets people discussing the issue — and whether it’s a fair question and whether it needs to be asked. Just having the issue discussed and having daylight shined on it is a victory…”

I have posted the YouTube video here now, in case you did not see it before.

The original article follows:

Obama supporters should avoid reposting this video without a disclaimer that is almost certainly a pro-Romney dirty trick produced by Republican and/or LDS operatives. The video’s script and images are designed to suggest that if Romney is elected, his first allegiance will not be to the United States of America but to Thomas Monson, president and head prophet of the Mormon Church. According to Mormon mythology, as president and prophet, Monson speaks directly to God.

The video starts out with a voice actor portraying Romney as he reads the presidential oath of office next January:

VOICE ACTOR: I, Willard Mitt Romney, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend … the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints…

See how they did that? Clever. Next the video’s narrator suggests that, if Romney is elected, he will take his orders — not from Grover Norquist, Karl Rove, John Bolton, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, which is in fact the case — but from Monson:

NARRATOR: Meet Thomas S. Monson. Mormons call him “the living prophet,” the man who speaks for God. As a Mormon, Romney is expected to obey his will over family and country.

Governor Romney, if you’re president, who’s the boss?

The video is suspicious on several levels. First, the group behind it is Faith in Country — a meme of Glenn Beck, who is also a Mormon — which describes itself as:

We’re red-blooded, patriotic Americans who put our country first and fight for the truth. We ask tough questions and we celebrate our right to speak freely and openly about topics affecting our society.

Secondly, as of 6 a.m. on Oct. 15, the Whois record hides identity of the owners of the domain name associated with the “Faith in Country” Facebook page, faithincountry.com. The record indicates that the domain name was registered earlier this month. And if you visit the URL, you get the standard GoDaddy “site not found but here are a couple dozen useless ads” page.

But the most damning evidence that the video is a Republican dirty trick is the timing and motive. Now that the polls have tightened and the pool of undecideds grows smaller by the hour, Romney’s supporters would like nothing more than to be able to accuse the president’s supporters of attacking Romney’s religion.

If they could blame this video on Obama supporters, Republicans would eagerly characterize it as an act of desperation. They could also promote it to independent undecideds — the voters who are just now making up their minds and who have the fate of humankind in their hands — that the video is an offensive attack on Romney’s religion.

So here is the link, Democrats and Obama supporters, but beware. It is bogus.