North Carolina reporters had no more success weaseling a definite 2012 answer out of Gov. Tim Pawlenty Monday morning than have reporters elsewhere.

"I genuinely just don't know what I'm going to do after I'm done being governor," said Pawlenty. He said he won't decide his future until next year.

Meanwhile, he had some, not unexpected, praise for folks in the Tea Party.

"I think the Tea Party has really put their finger on the pulse of something and that is a growing sense of frustration and anger that government just continues to grow ," Pawlenty said. "I applaud their efforts in the sense that it's new energy. It's mobilizing new people in new ways and that's good for democracy."

Here's the question and answer session with reporters, via News & Record reporter Mark Binker:

And here's the full speech Pawlenty gave in North Carolina: