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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

CAL THOMAS: A heaping helping of waste from Pig Book 2016

As the tax deadline approaches it's once again time to consider how the federal government wastes our money.

April 13, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Jihadis infiltrating West as leaders stand by

LONDON -- It's called Frontex and, according to its website, the agency "promotes, coordinates and develops European border management in line with the [European Union] fundamental rights charter applying the concept of Integrated Border Management."

April 11, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Obama’s morality

In a recent interview for the BBC2 series "Inside Obama's White House," President Obama sounded somewhat wistful as he spoke to an interviewer about how he has tried to use his voice "to move things toward a more ethical and moral outcome."

April 6, 2016

CAL THOMAS: U.S. must do better, or face poorer choices in candidates for office

Occasionally, I am asked if I ever considered running for political office. My response: "I did once, but I took two aspirin, lay down for a while and the feeling went away."

April 4, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Left tweaks Constitution to fit agenda

Neither political party can lay claim to purity when it comes to hypocrisy, but Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, as well as others in her party, has taken hypocrisy to new depths.

March 30, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Must terrorism be the new normal?

Are the increasing incidents of terrorist attacks in Europe the "new normal"? Must Europeans and Americans become resigned to the inevitability of regular jihadi assaults?

March 28, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Obama ‘apology tour’ comes full circle in Cuba

At the beginning of his presidency, Barack Obama traveled to Cairo, Europe and the United Nations to "apologize" for past American actions and attitudes, which he claimed helped create divisions between countries.

March 23, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Merrick Garland would tilt Supreme Court leftward

Whenever I hear the words "centrist" or "moderate," especially when they come from The New York Times and The Washington Post, the words "liberal" and "cover-up" immediately come to mind.

March 21, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Iran’s missiles and the nuclear deal

It seems like only yesterday -- and in diplomatic terms it was -- that the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress were assuring us the nuclear deal with Iran was something to celebrate, as one might laud the winning of a Nobel Peace Prize.

March 16, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Nancy Reagan funeral brought bipartisan grief

Why does it take death to bring us together? Why not life?

March 14, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Bernie Sanders claims whites don’t know poverty

In his continuing effort to pit races and classes against each other, Democratic presidential candidate and socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders has said that if you are white, "you don't know what it's like to be poor."

March 9, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Donald Trump lacks Ronald Reagan’s depth

It should not surprise anyone that nonthinking and self-focus has fueled the rise of Donald Trump as a presidential candidate.

March 7, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Pitchforks around the capital

In the film "Girl, Interrupted," the character played by Winona Ryder is watching TV in a psychiatric hospital. There is a news report about a demonstration and the narrator says: "We live in troubled times. The institutions we once trusted no longer seem reliable."

March 2, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Donald Trump’s sewer politics

I was going to write about how the Republican presidential campaign has become gutter politics, but given Donald Trump's horrid statements, the gutter would be a step up, because things have descended into the sewer.

February 29, 2016

CAL THOMAS: Democrats hypocritical on Supreme Court nominee

Everyone knows the meaning of the word "hypocrite," and no one can claim absolute constancy when it comes to living a life consistent with one's stated values. But in this election year, hypocrisy is on full display. It is now being practiced with neither shame nor irony by leading Democrats, who once forcefully argued positions they have now abandoned.

February 24, 2016