JACKSON - Ask Attorney General Mike Moore if he plans to run for governor and he sounds equal parts lawyer - a profession he says he loves - and politician - something he says he'd rather not be.
The skilled attorney, Moore can make sound arguments for why he should seek the state's top elected job next year, and for choosing not to.
The savvy politician, he refuses to be nailed down on the issue and says he could run for governor, try to remain attorney general or change careers altogether.
"I'm going to make a decision pretty soon," the 50-year-old, four-term AG told The Associated Press' Jackson staff this week.
"Maybe I'll surprise everybody and run for nothing," Moore said with a quick smile and a tug of his suit coat sleeve. "Maybe I'll do something completely different with my life. That would surprise everyone - but me."
Moore said the two biggest considerations are his family and current job. He said his wife, Tisha, is not a big fan of politics, and he relishes spending time with his 15-year-old son Kyle.
"Family is more important to me than anything in my life - period," he said.
Moore, who has gained national recognition for his aggressive stand against the nation's tobacco companies, became the state's youngest district attorney in 1979 - at age 27.
The coast native and Democrat distinguished himself in that position by going after corrupt officials. His successes made statewide headlines.
In 1994, as Mississippi's top legal officer, Moore filed the first lawsuit against Big Tobacco to recover tax money spent treating smoking-related illnesses. He also was at the heart of 1997 negotiations seeking a national settlement - Mississippi's portion of which was $4.1 billion.
"I love being attorney general," he said. "It fits my personality well, but it's also a place where you make a difference every day. I don't have to go to the Legislature and say, 'Pass this grandiose piece of legislation,' and if they don't, then I didn't get anything done.
"The attorney general is the most independent officer in the state. Before I decide to leave that, I've got to make a decision that I can make more of a difference as governor than I could as attorney general. I haven't done that. The governor's job is a little bit weak statutorily, legislatively, constitutionally."
Still, Moore said he thinks he'd be an effective governor because of his ability to work with legislative leaders, some of whom he says have encouraged his candidacy.
"I feel the responsibility to do it," he said. "I really believe there's a void of leadership in our state. I'm not picking on anybody. I just believe that. I believe it's perceived and I think it's real."
Gov. Ronnie Musgrove was traveling Tuesday and unavailable for comment, but his spokesman John Sewell dismissed Moore's remarks about leadership.
Sewell said Musgrove spent Monday in Belzoni and other parts of Humphreys County discussing jobs, housing and health care. He said the governor on Tuesday attended the groundbreaking for a Nissan supplier in Tupelo that will create 250 jobs.
Musgrove, a Democrat, also visited other parts of the state promoting a homeowner rehabilitation project. "There's your leadership," Sewell said.
Musgrove, in his first term, is expected to be a candidate for re-election. Haley Barbour, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Tuesday he'll decide this fall if he'll run.
Copyright 2002, Associated Press. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
