A CRJ200 PLT DISCONTINUED A VISUAL APCH TO CUB WITH A CAE DEST FOLLOWING A HIGH APCH.

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FLT WAS IN CONTACT WITH COLUMBIA APCH CTL AND IN RADAR CONTACT. FLT WAS N OF CAE; EBOUND; DSNDING FROM 10000 FT TO 2500 FT FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 29 AT CAE. FMS WAS SET UP FOR ILS RWY 29 AND ILS RWY 29 FREQ WAS TUNED AND IDENTED IN GREEN DATA. IN ADDITION; CAPT HAD PLACED A 4 MI AND 10 MI GREEN RING AROUND CAE ON THE FMS. IN ORDER TO ALLOW TIME TO LOSE ALT; FLT PROCEEDED EBOUND OUT TO 10 MI. (FLT WAS DSNDING AT 250 KIAS WITH FLT SPOILERS DEPLOYED.) CAPT BEGAN R TURN FOR BASE LEG AND FO ADVISED TO KEEP IT TIGHT; WE'RE IN CLOSE. CAPT CONTINUED TO TURN TO A HDG OF APPROX 210 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE LOC FOR RWY 29 AT CAE. FLAPS WERE LOWERED TO 45 DEGS; AND LNDG GEAR WAS SELECTED DOWN AND BEFORE LNDG CHK WAS COMPLETE. AS FLT ALIGNED WITH EXTENDED RWY CTRLINE; BOTH CAPT AND FO NOTED IMMEDIATELY THAT THE FMS AND GREEN DATA DID NOT AGREE WITH THE RWY THAT WE WERE ALIGNED WITH. FO ASKED CAE APCH IF THE LOC FOR RWY 29 WAS TURNED ON. FLT HAD JUST BEGUN DSCNT FOR VISUAL APCH; WHEN APCH CTL ADVISED THAT WE WERE LINED UP WITH COLUMBIA DOWNTOWN ARPT (CUB); APPROX 7 MI E; NE OF CAE. FLT WAS INSTRUCTED TO CLB TO 2100 FT AND PROCEED TO CAE. CAPT INCREASED THRUST AND CLBED APPROX 200 FT TO 2100 FT AND CALLED FOR GEAR RETRACTION AND FLAPS WERE SELECTED TO 20 DEGS. CAPT PURPOSELY CALLED FOR FLAPS 20 DEGS BECAUSE OF THE NEARNESS OF CAE. ONCE ALIGNED WITH LOC FOR RWY 29 AT CAE; FLT LANDED NORMALLY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE I WAS DSNDED FROM A FAIRLY HIGH ALT; IT WAS DIFFICULT TO PICK OUT THE PROPER ARPT IN THE SURROUNDING LIGHTS. MY INTENTION WAS TO MAKE MY R TURN TO BASE AND FINAL BASED ON THE FMS AND ILS LOC. WHEN MY FO ADVISED TO; 'KEEP IT TIGHT;' I WENT WITH HIS RECOMMENDATION BECAUSE THE FMS WAS DEAD RECKONING BY THIS POINT. HOWEVER; BECAUSE WE DID HAVE THE FMS AND LOC SET UP AND TUNED; THIS ALLOWED US TO SPOT OUR ERROR AND QUESTION APCH CTL AS TO OUR ORIENTATION BEFORE THEY EVEN SPOTTED IT.