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'''Melvin Sembler''' is a longtime friend of former vice president Dick Cheney and a Republican fundraiser.<ref>Accountable America [http://www.accountableamerica.com/people/sembler Mel Sembler], accessed Octoer 23, 2009</ref> He served as the Ambassador to Italy 2001 to 2005, appointed by President [[George W. Bush]] in 2001.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Sembler Mel Sembler] in the ''Wikipedia''.</ref>
In August 2007, Sembler was among prominent [[conservative]]s conservatives funding [[Freedom's Watch]], a new White House [[front group]]<ref>[http://www.lasvegasgleaner.com/las_vegas_gleaner/2007/08/adelson-runs-at.html "Adelson runs attack ads against Porter,"] ''Las Vegas Gleaner'', August 22, 2007.</ref> which began "a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to urge members of [[Congress]] who may be wavering in their support for the [[war in Iraq]] not to 'cut and run'."<ref name>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/washington/22war-web.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin "Group to Urge War Support,"] ''New York Times'', August 22, 2007.</ref>
[[Mitt Romney]] named Mel Sembler as National Finance Co-chairman in the 2008 Presidential race. <ref>[http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Florida_Finance_Committee] Mitt Romney 2008 Press-Release. </ref>
Sembler helped finance the 2000 Florida election recount that gave George W. Bush the presidency. He also was a founding funder of the front group [[Freedom's Watch]], established in 2007.<ref>Mark Townsend and Peter Beaumont [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/07/politics.usa Brown aide plays down US talk of Iran threat], U.K. ''Guardian'', October 7, 2007</ref>
==Profiles==
Sembler had previously served as Ambassador to Australia and Nauru by [[George H.W. Bush]] in 1989. [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/7043.htm] "Sembler served as Finance Chairman for the [[Republican National Committee]] from 1997 to 2000. He also served as Florida's National Committeeman to the Republican National Committee after his election in 1994 until 2000."<ref>[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/7043.htm Biography: Melvin Sembler, Ambassador, Italy Term of Appointment: 11/16/2001 to present,] [[U.S. Department of State]], January 8, 2002.</ref>
