McCrory continues candidate dance as he blasts Perdue

Republican Pat McCrory is apparently amplifying his efforts to criticize Gov. Bev Perdue's leadership as he continues his candidate-but-not-a-candidate dance.

In an interview with editors and reporters at the Salisbury Post, McCrory highlighted the contradiction behind his rationale not to formally declare his bid, saying he first needs to campaign for more money and support while at the same time calling the campaign cycle too long and expensive. "I wanted to ensure that I have both public and financial support before I officially announce," he told the paper. "Also, I think the full-time campaign season is far too long and far to expensive... And I think people are tired of politicians’ long campaign cycles."

As for his agenda, McCrory aligned himself with the GOP legislative leadership and attacked Perdue's vetoes of a voter identification bill, among others. "We need a leader who actually has a vision of how to proceed in the future and also a strategy to get there," McCrory said. "I have no idea what the vision is that Gov. (Bev) Perdue has been espousing for the last two years. It’s been very reactionary as opposed to proactive."

As Perdue continues to focus on education as a link to economic development -- likely her main campaign talking point -- McCrory is beginning to counter by saying that the state's academic goals need to be tied to job needs in North Carolina, as he told the paper. “I want a direct correlation between what our academic curriculum is to what the employers’ needs are,” McCrory said.

Anthropology majors, beware. Read more from the Post interview here.