American beer drinkers might be interested in learning that August A. Busch IV, Budweiser heir and John Kerry supporter, signed a full-page ad for the Democratic National Committee that ran Sept. 23rd in The New York Times.

 I suspect many Bud drinkers may not have seen it.

 The ad did not feature talking frogs, and the Democrats are not broadcasting a TV version during NFL games. It ran opposite the "World Briefing" on page A13 -- not prime space for the beer-drinking demographic.

 Headlined "America Needs New Leadership," the ad, without expressly naming either candidate, argued that President Bush is bad for business and that John Kerry would be better.

 This was a message by and for people who don't drink their beverages from pop-tops.

 Busch IV, president of Anheuser-Busch's domestic beer division, may lead the most iconic American company of anyone who signed the Democrats' ad, but there were about 200 other signatories, including Edgar Bronfman Jr., chairman of Warner Music Group, and Charles K. Gifford, chairman of Bank of America.

 These big business leaders want the party of big government back in power. "We believe that our businesses will flourish when the policies of the United States are good for business," they write. "We believe this will happen -- with new leadership in Washington."

 Their most controversial argument: President Bush's foreign policy is choking their corporate growth.

 "Our disastrous foreign policy has cost us partners, not just in the war on terror, but in the world marketplace," they write. "We need leadership that will restore America's standing in the world community. That will help our nation fight terrorists. It will also strengthen our economy, helping American companies export more products and services to parts of the world that now view us only with suspicion.

 ". . . But in the last four (years) this administration has put in place a disastrous series of policies that have weakened us everywhere," they said.

 The ad carried a disclaimer: "The views expressed herein are those of individual signers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their companies or organizations."

 While aspects of President Bush's foreign policy deserve debate, is the DNC's anti-Bush argument signed by the beer heir persuasive? Has Bush II been bad for Busch IV's business? Continued...