Ever wondered how much it costs to buy a super delegate?  According to this post on RedState Obama is trying to buy Congressman and Superdelegate Tom Allen's vote with a $10,000 contribution. It would be doubly interesting if Obama succeeds considering Tom Allen and Bill Clinton have been friends ever since they attended Oxford together. 

Maine Congressman and MoveOn.org instrument Tom Allen is having a heck of a time these days, getting pounded in print and online about his missed votes record:

RedState:Take the tickets Tom, I have to work

Tom Allen Watch: All work and no play makes Tom a dull boy

AsMaineGoes:Allen: ME Congress Delegation's #1 Missing Roll Call Votes

Boston Globe:Collins touts voting record, Allen fights back, in Senate race

One story these guys have missed was that Tom missed a vote last year on the very issue he has been criticizing Susan Collins about - Iraq reconstruction oversight. Allen missed this vote and was called on it recently by Maine radio host Ric Tyler.

Here's the audio clip

There is so much in this clip, what a gem. First, Allen says 'the Army was breaking up'. I'm no military expert, but I can bet big bucks that if the U.S. Army were 'breaking up', the last thing they'd do would be to run down to MoveOn Tom's office to discuss it with him. Allen also puts forward the notion that, since the bill passed by more than one vote, his vote wouldn't have mattered anyway. So does that mean Tom will only show up for work if the House is tied?

This story just keeps getting bigger and bigger. It's like a snowball going downhill slowly at this point, and Allen's going to have some serious questions to answer by the time November rolls around. Like TomAllenWatch said, this is about the bare minimum requirement for the job he's applying for. People in Maine pride themselves in their work ethic, and Tom Allen's AWOL record just doesn't cut it.