Santorum's criticism of the fiercely anti-war Paul follows an exchange the two had in Iowa. | AP Photos Santorum: Paul reveals 'disconnect'

Rick Santorum signaled Thursday that the disagreement he mapped out against Ron Paul in a surprisingly intense attack at the last Republican debate is likely to continue, responding to a question about the Texas congressman’s views by saying they represent a “disconnect from reality.”

“I’m very concerned that we have this new brand of Republicanism that’s been foreign to conservatism for the past 50 years,” Santorum told POLITICO. “We haven’t seen this isolationism rear its head on the Republican side, and we’ve traditionally been much more realistic about the threats that confront us. We don’t do what the left does and try to fit everything into some ideological understanding of the world.”


Santorum is spending the next two days stumping in South Carolina, where he hopes to appeal to many of the military families in coastal communities that supported John McCain in 2008. Always known as more of a culture warrior, the former Pennsylvania senator will be emphasizing his role on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

His criticism of Paul, who is fiercely anti-war, follows a heated exchange the two had during the Iowa presidential debate earlier this month. Paul has said Israel is perfectly capable of defending itself from a nuclear Iran, and has more than enough military might to retaliate. Santorum has painted the threat from Iran in much starker terms, and reiterated Thursday his disdain for Paul’s stance.

“Ron Paul’s view is that in spite of all the actions and words of the radical Islamists, that somehow they’re not serious, and that this isn’t a problem for us,” Santorum said. “That’s a disconnect from reality, and it’s not healthy in either party.”