Don't say I didn't warn you:

MOBILE, Ala. — A new poll shows Roy Moore with a lead over Gov. Bob Riley in the race for the 2006 Republican gubernatorial nomination, a potential boost for the former chief justice should he decide to run for the office.

 A Mobile Register-University of South Alabama poll of likely Republican primary voters shows Moore with a lead of 8 percentage points over Riley in a hypothetical primary matchup. Moore drew support from 43 percent of respondents, while the governor garnered 35 percent....

The poll found that Moore had a favorable rating of 72 percent — a number University of Alabama political scientist William Stewart described as potentially "intimidating to the governor."

When Greenville businessman Tim James was added to the mix, both Moore's and Riley's support dropped. But that matchup still pushed Moore's lead to 10 percentage points....

Poll director Keith Nicholls, a political scientist at South Alabama, said the results indicate the 2006 nomination is "Moore's for the taking."...

--Mobile Register/AP

Part of me actually wants to see Moore win, because, hell, I don't live in Alabama, and I really believe Moore as governor might declare that Alabama is a Christian state (Moore supporter Alan Keyes has argued that states have the right to precisely that) -- and maybe only then will we see where present-day Republican radicalism logically leads.

(Link via Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.)

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On the Roy Moore front, there's also this:

Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore will be speaking at a "First Ladies' Inaugural Tea" in the nation's capital Saturday, but it's unclear whether the first lady will also make an appearance.

"I feel confident that she will attend," said Merrie Turner, an anti-abortion activist who is organizing the $75-per-person event at the posh Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in downtown Washington. Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for first lady Laura Bush, did not return phone calls seeking comment....

[Turner] predicted a good turnout for the tea. Of the $75-per-person cost, two-thirds goes to the Mayflower, she said, while the rest will cover expenses. Afterward, attendees can purchase Ten Commandments centerpieces made of red granite, Italian marble and rock from Mount Sinai. The proceeds, she said, will go to help Moore.

I don't understand -- can just anyone stage an inaugural-related event and give it a name that suggests it's an official part of the ceremonies? Seems unlikely -- which makes me think the Bushies are implicitly endorsing this, even if Laura never shows up.

A bit about Merrie Turner:

...Arrested in the 1991 "Summer of Mercy" anti-abortion protest in Wichita, Kansas, she said she spent five years fighting criminal charges before being sentenced to probation and community service for obstructing a federal court order....

About that 1991 protest:

...[In 1991] Operation Rescue went to Wichita and staged a 46-day picket in front of the Women's Health Care Services clinic operated by Dr. George Tiller. During that time, 2,700 protesters were arrested. Dr. Tiller was chosen for this 'mission' because he is one of the few abortion providers in the country that performs late-term therapeutic abortions to save the lives and health of women. His clinic has been bombed and he was shot several years ago by Shelly Shannon, who remains in jail for this crime....

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UPDATE: And in other theocracy news:

Word that Ralph Reed plans to seek the lieutenant governorship of Georgia signals what friends say is the former Christian Coalition executive director's ultimate ambition — 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue....

Associates say Mr. Reed, 43, whose picture first appeared on the cover of Time magazine nearly 10 years ago, hopes to use the lieutenant governor's job to position himself to run for Georgia governor. Friends also say the Atlanta-based consultant's long-held ambition is ultimately to win for himself the Republican presidential nomination that, as a campaign adviser, he has helped others to seek....

He declined to be interviewed for this article, but other Republicans said that he has sounded out Republicans in Washington close to the White House....

Boy, that "Jesusland" map is looking more and more accurate, isn't it?