Obama: This 'Bud' should be U.S. made

by John McCormick

Stuck in St. Louis after his campaign plane was diverted there because of a mechanical problem, Sen. Barack Obama met with reporters at an impromptu news conference.

And in St. Louis these days, there is no issue more pressing than the possible sale of Anheuser-Busch to InBev, a Belgian-Brazilian brewing group.

The Illinois Democrat said shareholders have the right to sell their company, but that he hopes another option can be found.

"That's part of the free market system," he said. "I do think that it would be a shame if Bud is foreign owned. And I think we should be able to find an American company that is interested in purchasing Anheuser-Busch, if, in fact, Anheuser-Busch feels that it is necessary to sell."

The presumptive Democratic nominee also commented on news today that he will accept his party's nomination outdoors in Denver at INVESCO Field.

"We are excited about the prospect of opening up the convention," he said. "One of the things I've said in the past is that sometimes our conventions don't feel like they are open to everybody, and for us to be able to do it in INVESCO Field is an opportunity for 80,000 people who might not otherwise have been able to participate to get involved. And it's consistent with how we want to make sure that people from all walks of life, ordinary Americans, are able to participate in this convention."

Obama also outlined scenarios when he believes it would be appropriate to tap the nation's oil reserves. For him, four-dollar gasoline does not meet the definition of a crisis.

"The Strategic Oil Reserve, I think, has to be reserved for a genuine emergency," he said. "If you have a situation, let's say, where there was a major oil facility in Saudi Arabia that was destroyed as a consequence of terrorist acts and you suddenly have huge amounts of oil taken out of the world market."