The day after President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. military would begin targeted air-strikes against ISIS terrorist groups in Iraq, Texas Governor Rick Perry said we are, “right to eliminate them” and protect Kurdistan.

“It is appropriate for us to protect Kurdistan. If there is one part of Iraq that is very important to us it is Kurdistan. The leadership there, big Christian population, there are a number of good, legitimate reasons to protect them.”

At the RedState Gathering in Fort Worth, Texas, 400 conservative activists and bloggers packed into a ballroom to hear Perry speak about his vision of Texas after more than a decade as governor.

Beforehand in a one-on-one, the Governor talked to me about the need for a strong response to Isis and noted that although our special operators are already in the theater he stressed that he is not advocating for boots on the ground. Instead he said, we should “use our assets, in particular aviation assets to remove the threat of ISIS.”

Perry said, “It is very appropriate for us to be the hunter and them to be the hunted.”

Of the Obama Administration’s foreign policy, Governor Perry said, “We have led from the rear since Libya and Egypt. Negotiating with Iran, not putting a no fly zone in Syria, allowing for Ukraine to devolve and the Crimea to be taken and now for ISIS to be in Iraq. There is a very clear pattern of not acting until it is too late”

Also this morning, Perry announced the formation of “RickPAC,” a PAC formed to influence key federal elections across the country including Tom Cotton in Arkansas and Ed Gillespie in Virginia. A move that could increase his national profile and rebuild his image ahead of a potential 2016 presidential run.