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Ambassador to Italy appointed by George W. Bush. Former Ambassador to Australia and Nauru appointed by George H.W. Bush. Former Financial Chair for the Republican National Committee. Large contributor to Republican campaigns and personal friend of Bush and Cheney families. [See: "[http://thestraights.com/people/straight-officials/board/sembler/sembler-family-contributions.htm Sembler buys ambassadorships]" ] CEO of Sembler Co. , one of America's largest shopping mall chains. Co-founder of Drug Free America Foundation, formerly Straight, Inc.

For 17 years Mel Sembler's Straight program was the biggest chain of juvenile drug rehabilitation programs in the world. But former clients have come forward to say they were severely abused by Straight's "brainwashing methods.". There have been over 40 suicides associated with Straight. The anti-Straight crowd continues to protest Mel Sembler. His business interests are protested by the Uhurus for allegtations of racial descrimination and by anti-Iraq war activists. The Sembler story is at "[http://www.thestraights.com theStraights dot com]".