According to a SUSA poll Hillary Clinton beats all three top GOP challengers in Virginia and Kentucky, and beats Romney in Alabama. She loses to Giuliani in Alabama by 6. But the real shocker is that the Southern, Alabama-born, good old boy Fred Thompson only beats her by 2 points.

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That she wins in Upper South states like KY and VA is noteworthy but not terribly surprising; Bill Clinton won KY twice, and Virginia is clearly trending blue with the massive growth of northern Virginia. But Alabama is as red as ever. In fact, one of Hillary Clinton's most infamous moments in the campaign season so far was her failed attempt at code switching at a black church in Selma - an event that drew ridicule throughout the South. Yet there she is, just 2 points below Fred Thompson.

If this poll is accurate then the backers of Fred Thompson have to be asking themselves if he's really the right guy. Bush won Alabama by 26 points in 2004. Any Republican should expect to win Alabama by 12 points at least; Bill Clinton came fairly close in 1996 with the help of Perot. But Hillary has none of the charisma of her husband. And Alabama is even more Republican now than in 1996. So how could she poll so well there? And more importantly, why does Fred Thompson do so poorly against her, vis-a-vis Giuliani?

I admit that this poll is a shocker. A recent poll from Arkansas showed her absolutely crushing each of the GOP nominees by double digits. As conservative as Arkansas is, I can see that happening because the state still leans Democratic (though conservative Democratic for sure) and people there still love the Clintons. Even Mike Huckabee praised the Clintons.

But Alabama is not Arkansas. Alabama has no history with her or Bill. Moreover, it's the state where Fred Thompson was born. What's going on here? Are fears of her negatives in the South overblown? Are her negatives played out? Can Hillary Clinton win multiple Southern states like her husband did? If KY and VA look so good for her, surely MO, OH and NC are in good shape too. And if it's Giuliani leading the ticket I'd say our great state of Tennessee is in play for Hillary Clinton too. Who'da thunk it?