Gov. Rick Perry, R-TX, slammed politicians he deemed “isolationist;” namely, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, saying they are “blind” to terrorism.

Perry said this in an op-ed for The Washington Post Friday. He added he understands the mindset of Paul: “Many people are tired of war, and the urge to pull back is a natural, human reaction. Unfortunately, we live in a world where isolationist policies would only endanger our national security even further.”

Perry was prompted to speak after he heard Paul “suggest that our nation should ignore what’s happening in Iraq.”

Perry insists that the threat of terrorism coming from Iraq is very real. A group calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Paul says, are “well-trained, technologically sophisticated and adept at recruitment, with thousands of people with European passports fighting on its side, as well as some Americans.”

Perry reminded readers that an American carried out a suicide bombing and a European killed four at the Jewish Museum in Brussels.

He continued, “[The Islamic State] represents a real threat to our national security… because any of these passport carriers can simply buy a plane ticket and show up in the United States without even a visa.”

President Obama’s leadership on this matter was also criticized by Perry: “[Obama’s] kind of confused leadership and passivity enabled groups such as the Islamic State to grow and play major roles in terror’s resurgence. It has also enabled al-Qaeda to regroup.

“As a consequence, there are no good options in Iraq or Syria.”

Perry advocates a highly offensive strategy, suggesting the U. S. conduct surveillance, reconnaissance, and even airstrikes.

CBS News reported that Ron Paul opposes the war in part because those who support it “made every false assumption imaginable about the cost, challenge and purpose of the Iraq war,” as quoted from an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal last month.

Both Paul and Perry are potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates.