Concern Over InBev Takeover in Missouri

According to The Economist, locals are up in arms over InBev's hostile takeover attempt to buy Anheuser-Busch. The reaction has been vocal:

Missouri's politicians, from the lowliest alderman to the governor himself, are up in arms. Its Republican senator, Kit Bond, and its Democratic one, Claire McCaskill, have put aside differences and are asking the Justice Department to step in. The governor of Missouri, Matt Blunt, has ordered state agencies to do all they can to block the dreadful move...

Patriotic beer-lovers have mounted a campaign to keep Budweiser in American hands. Websites appeared overnight once news of the bid broke and have so far collected around 70,000 signatures on electronic petitions. Yard signs and bumper stickers have sprouted, and on June 14th protesters marched to Busch stadium, one of the many fruits of Anheuser-Busch’s 150 years in St Louis.

In my view, while it would be nice to see A-B's St Louis tradition maintained, this should be a business issue rather than a political one. Thankfully, it looks like it will remain that way. While beer is important, it's not a national security issue and there's still plenty of competition in the industry, so federal regulators will likely not have a say.