Posted below are David Frum's answers to your questions. David's excellent blog can be read here.
Donal Blaney: "What is the main lesson for British Conservatives to learn from the electoral successes of the Republicans at Presidential, Congressional and Gubernatorial level in the last decade?"
Frankly, I think you have more to learn from Republican failures. Under George Bush, Republicans tried to reinvent their domestic policies to meet perceived political and demographic needs- regardless not only of principle, but also of internal coherence. The result has been policy failure (the kindest term I can think of for attempting to merge a huge tax cut with a huge new prescription drug entitlement benefit), but also political disappointment, as the president has ended up alienating much of his voting base without obtaining the secure new majority he sought. I am not saying that Republicans and Conservatives must adhere forever to their old-time religion. That obviously stopped working in the 1990s - but only that attempts to broaden their appeal must make philosophical sense, rather than be assembled like tinker-toy out of focus-grouped-approved concepts.
Chris Hughes: "Do you think the GOP will suffer a backlash from conservatives unhappy with President Bush's performance in Iraq and domestically?"
Not Iraq, but immigration, is the issue hurting President Bush with his base vote. The base vote stuck with the President in November 2004, when there was no shortage of bad news from Iraq, because it counted on him to respect its beliefs and values. The president's proposals to (in effect) grant amnesty to illegal immigrants and bring hundreds of thousands of guestworkers to the country challenges the base's faith and confidence. I cant think of anything he has done that could hurt him more.
Simon C: "What does George W Bush need to do to salvage his second term?"
He needs a foreign policy success either in Iraq or in Iran. He needs a new economic team that will restrain domestic spending and put his temporary cuts of 2001 and 2002 on a more sustainable footing. He needs to enforce the immigration laws and drop amnesty and guestworkers.
A Milne: "Does he think Congress, knows the effect of its narrow-minded belligerence in the way its deals with the attempts of its allies to break into certain areas of the US market, such as blocking defence deals that would benefit the UK and blocking the P&O takeover bid?"
I think it does, but does not much care. Remember opposition to the Dubai deal (which I supported as a matter of interest) originated among DEMOCRATIC members of Congress who perceived an opportunity to exploit general unease with America's level of anti-terrorist preparedness. Those Democrats did indeed inflict a stinging defeat on the president - and it's not in their nature to care much about the larger cost of their little tactical triumph.
CCHQ Spy: "How much is anti-Americanism around the world really a problem of anti-conservatism? Would President Hillary Clinton change policies on the environment and terrorism that would appease global hostility to America?"
I don't know that there is such a thing as "global" hostility to America. European anti-Americanism can be traced I think to two things: the attempt by some European elites to generate a stronger supranational European identity by generating hostility to a non-European "other" - and then fear that America's response to 9/11 was provoking a conflict in which Europeans would suffer more than Americans. Middle Eastern anti-Americanism has deeper darker and less appeasable sources. In neither case, though, will policy change by the United States make much difference. Policy must stand or fall on its own merits. I do think though that greater consultation -and even more, more visible consultation - by the United States with its allies in Europe would help a great deal. Americans understand that they are not communicating well. But the most important part of communication is listening, not talking.
Selsdon Man: "Who do you support as the next Republican Party candidate for President?"
No decision yet. I am very interested by Mitt Romney, who seems to have a very good grasp of the executive nature of the presidential job.
John Hustings: "From what you have seen of him, what do you think of David Cameron?"
I have never met David Cameron. I think very very highly indeed of many of his key supporters: George Osborne, Michael Gove, Charles Moore. If these brainy, principled conservatives like & support Mr. Cameron, that goes very far with me. But I hope David Cameron will learn from George Bush's mistakes - not replicate them.
Derek: "What is his view of the effect of the continuing mass immigration of Mexicans and others into the US on the politics of the country in the long term, particularly on foreign policy?"
Nothing good. It's main effect over the longer term will be to exacerbate America's strong trend toward social inequality. Not just a gap between rich and poor but also between the politically active and the politically passive, and between the country's cultural leadership and a culturally conservative middle that will feel squeezed between a secular, cosmpolitan, and globalized elite - and a poor, Spanish-speaking, unAmericanized caste of newcomers highly influenced by cultural trends from the Latin American South.
French in London: "Can diplomacy stop Iran getting nuclear weapons?"
Not unless backed by very convincing and very scary threats of economic isolation and military retaliation.
Samuel Coates: "What are your three top tips for writing an online diary?"
Don't try to cover too many different subjects; read both broadly and deeply - and be prepared to apologize for your mistakes when you make them.
