By Andy Ostmeyer

Globe Metro Editor

What will the possible sale of Anheuser-Busch mean for politicians used to lining up at the tap?

I mean the money tap.

We’ll have to wait to see, but it didn’t take them long to begin organizing opposition to the sale of Anheuser-Busch to Belgian brewer InBev. InBev offered an unsolicited cash bid for Anheuser-Busch after markets closed Wednesday.

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt immediately directed the Missouri Department of Economic Development to see whether there was a way to block the sale.

A Web site, saveAB.com, was launched by Blunt’s former chief of staff, Ed Martin.

“Shareholders should resist choosing dollars over American jobs,” Martin said in a statement Wednesday night.

Martin also said: “Selling out to the Belgians is not worth it — because this is about more than beer: It’s about our jobs and our nation.”

Worries about job cuts at Anheuser-Busch could be justified because the company has a reputation for squeezing costs out of the companies it acquires, said Benj Steinman, editor of the Beer Marketer’s Insights trade publication.

Blunt and Martin are leading a charge to save the company that is more than just the biggest beer brewer in the country, it also is one of the biggest political players in the nation — and the state as well.

The National Center for Responsive Politics lists Anheuser-Busch 63rd on its list of all-time donors, with the brewer having pumped more than $11 million into federal races over the last 20 years. It is neatly divided, with 47 percent going to Democrats and 52 percent to Republicans.

So far in this election cycle, Anheuser-Busch has given away more than $1 million, with John McCain the top recipient at $23,250 and Hillary Clinton third with $12,010. McCain’s wife, by the way, is chairwoman of one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributorships in the country.

Roy Blunt, Christopher Bond, Jim Talent, Dick Gephardt, Russ Carnahan and Kenny Hulshof also have received tens of thousands of dollars from Anheuser-Busch over the years.

In Missouri, in 2006, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, Anheuser-Busch was the 12th largest contributor to campaigns. The company gave more than $389,000. In 2004, it ranked 15th among top givers, contributing nearly a half-million dollars to Missouri races.