Shrum-Edwards Battle of Words Continues

ABC’s Raelyn Johnson reports: The he said/she said, back and forth between Democratic strategist Bob Shrum and Sen. John Edward’s wife, Elizabeth, continues.  Shrum responded Monday to Mrs. Edwards’ argument that he had incorrectly remembered a conversation with Edwards in 1998 in which Shrum says the Senator said he was "uncomfortable" around gays. 

“I remember it correctly,”  Shrum countered on CNBC’s Hardball. “But the explanation that’s being given — and there have been several different explanations, by the way. The explanation that’s being given, I don’t know if it makes things better.”

Shrum’s recently published memoir, "No Excuses: Confessions of a Serial Campaigner" criticizes John Edwards on several fronts, and details conversations Shrum had with the politician during his 1998 Senate race as well as the 2004 presidential race, when Edwards was on the Democratic ticket with John Kerry.

On Monday Elizabeth Edwards came out swinging against Shrum’s recollection of the 1998 conversation in which Shrum asked her husband what his position was on gay rights.  According to Shrum, Edwards answered the question saying, “I’m not comfortable around those people.” 

In an interview with CNN on Sunday Elizabeth gave her take on the conversation, explaining that when Shrum brought up the issue of gays and lesbians, Edwards said it was an abstract issue for him, having grown up in a small southern Baptist town, and as far as he knew, he didn’t know any gay people. And that’s when she chimed in saying, “Well, actually you do,” referring to a friend of hers that she and John ran into when they were in law school.

“I went over and spoke to him, and I knew that he was gay, and I said, ‘You know, I’m engaged. And there’s the fellow over there I’m engaged to.’ And he said, ‘Oh, he’s awfully cute. I might snake him if he wasn’t with you.’ And I told John that. And this is where he used the word ‘uncomfortable.’ He said that made me feel ‘uncomfortable.’ So Bob correctly remembers the word ‘uncomfortable’ but incorrectly remembers the circumstances in which he said it.”

But Shrum, who had the last word last night, responds to Mrs. Edwards: “What I say in the book is not very different, actually, from what I think Elizabeth Edwards is trying to say, not those specifics, which is John came out of a tradition that made him have great difficulties with this issue. He said that in New Hampshire a few months ago. I think he’s clearly evolved on that issue. I accept the notion that the evolution is genuine. And it’s also a political necessity in the Democratic Party. But if you read that entire little section of the book, the fact of the matter is that I’m saying that John Edwards started in one place, ended up in another place.”

For the last few weeks, Shrum has been making the rounds promoting his new book, in which he details the conversation he and Elizabeth cannot seem to agree on, as well as other conversations with Edwards and other politicians.  From the start, the Edwards campaign has tried to downplay Shrum’s claims. 
“Anyone who knows Bob Shrum knows that he has a very casual relationship with the truth and it’s not surprising that when he’s trying to stay relevant and write some books, he would make things up,” campaign spokesman Mark Kornblau told ABC News.

Following the Democratic debate in New Hampshire Sunday night, Elizabeth Edwards took a moment in the Spin Room to remind people of her sharp recollection of the conversation in question.

"I remember it in intimate detail. I can even tell you where people were sitting in the room. Without casting aspersions on anyone — about where they were sitting, and how close to the doughnuts they were sitting. I even remember that.”

The question now is does Shrum remember the doughnuts?