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Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas is one of the most widely syndicated political columnists in America. Based in Washington, he is a wide-ranging social commentator, not a "beltway insider," who supports traditional conservative values and the American "can-do spirit." He'll take on virtually any topic, from the decline of the family to growing terrorism worldwide.
A syndicated columnist since 1984, he is the author of “America’s Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires, Superpowers and the United States” (HarperCollins/Zondervan, January 2020). His latest book is “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen in 50 Years Reporting on America” (Humanix Books, May 2023). Readers may email Mr. Thomas at tcaeditors@tribune.com.

Columns by Cal Thomas

Despite what John Kerry may think, he’s no longer in the game

Following the 2016 election, President Obama rightly warned the Trump transition team "we only have one president at a time." It was a reminder that there can be just one person articulating American foreign policy so world leaders will have no doubt as to the United States' intentions.

May 9, 2018

The exhaustion factor

The "wall of protection" conservative media has erected around President Trump may be crumbling.

May 7, 2018

At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the entertainment hit a new low

To be vulgar once earned societal disapproval, ostracism from polite company and — in my grandmother's era — put a young person in danger of having his mouth washed out with soap.

May 2, 2018

Learning from North Korea’s history

Before meeting with North Korea's very "honorable" (Donald Trump's words) dictator, Kim Jong-un, the president should bone up on the history of that country's duplicity and deception, including ways it has used the wishful thinking of some past U.S. presidents to achieve its objectives.

April 30, 2018

‘Crazy Bernie’ is at it again

There he goes again. Despite the lowest unemployment rate in 17 years, including declining rates for minorities, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont Independent, affectionately called "crazy Bernie" by some conservative talk show hosts, is again flirting with the idea that the federal government should guarantee every American a job, paying a minimum of $15 an hour and health care benefits.

April 25, 2018

To follow Jesus, or to follow Trump

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other."

April 23, 2018

The return of the ‘old-fashioned’

Call me old-fashioned -- and I've been called worse -- but do I sense the possible end to the sexual revolution, which exploded in the Sixties and whose fallout continues today?

April 18, 2018

Welfare reform again

When President Bill Clinton signed the welfare reform act in 1996, which he negotiated with House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the left claimed people would starve. They didn't. According to the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, between 1996 and 2000, the employment rate for single mothers increased from 63 percent to 76 percent.

April 16, 2018

Individual citizens have a right to be protected from an increasingly intrusive government

'The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." — Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

April 11, 2018

Syria, Donald Trump and isolationism

The isolationist spirit — a reluctance to become involved in foreign entanglements — goes back in U.S. history to Thomas Paine and his 1776 pamphlet " Common Sense" and to George Washington's 1796 Farewell Address.

April 9, 2018

Free speech takes another hit

Fox News host Laura Ingraham has apologized, as has the network, for nothing more serious than her tweet: "David Hogg rejected by four colleges to which he applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA totally predictable given acceptance rates.)"

April 4, 2018

What’s wrong in Washington (and America)

At dinner with friends, I was asked what is wrong with Washington. The question presumes a standard by which "wrong" can be defined.

April 2, 2018

John Bolton’s enemies

Among the several ways to judge a person's fitness for office are the enemies he has made.

March 28, 2018

The budget and national insecurity

President Trump wants us to believe that the ridiculous 2,232-page spending bill passed by Congress, but unread by most members, is a matter of "national security," because it has money to rebuild the military. He said he had to sign the bill for that reason, but promised never to sign one like it again. We'll see.

March 26, 2018

The Russian selection

Perhaps Vladimir Putin was using his experience meddling in U.S. elections to meddle in his own.

March 21, 2018

The unbalanced California ‘FACT Act’

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether pro-life pregnancy help centers in California should be required to post notices informing women of the availability of abortions elsewhere. The pregnancy help centers are contesting the law, disingenuously named the California Reproductive FACT (Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care and Transparency) Act, claiming it violates their free speech rights, as well as undercuts the reason for their existence.

March 19, 2018

Apocalypse now?

Since the beginning of recorded history there have been end-of-the-world predictions. In recent years we have had radio preachers, politicians and scientists declare with certainty that the world would soon end, either because of our decadent lifestyle, or because of "global warming," now known as "climate change."

March 14, 2018