AUSTIN -- Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards feigned a punch Thursday when asked what he'd like to say to Ann Coulter, the conservative commentator who seemingly characterized his sexual orientation in remarks at a political confab last week.

Edwards, appearing on Texas Monthly Talks, was asked by host Evan Smith to momentarily imagine that Coulter was seated in Smith's place. Anything to say to her?

Edwards, his right fist curled, feigned a punch and said: "No, there's absolutely nothing. Grow up."

Coulter told the Conservative Political Action Conference last Friday: "I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out that you have to go into rehab if you use the word faggot." Amid laughter and applause, she continued: "So I'm kind of at an impasse - can't really talk about Edwards."

Edwards, a former U.S. senator representing North Carolina and the Democratic Party's 2004 vice presidential nominee, is married to Elizabeth Edwards. They have three children, ages 24, 7 and 5.

His campaign has posted Coulter's remarks and a pitch to raise $100,000 in "Coulter cash."

During Thursday's taping, Edwards also rapped President Bush as untrustworthy, vowed to fund universal health care by raising taxes on wealthy Americans, and revisited his view that he made a mistake as a senator in voting to authorize the invasion of Iraq.

Predicting that Americans will choose a Democrat for president next year, he stopped short of judging two Democratic competitors - U.S. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.

Edwards, whose national finance chairman is Dallas lawyer Fred Baron, attended a breakfast fundraiser in Austin before the taping. He held a fundraiser and rally in San Antonio on Wednesday and was headed next to a Corpus Christi luncheon-fundraiser and an evening fundraiser in Houston.

The Texas Monthly interview airs in Austin at 7 p.m. March 15 on KLRU-TV, Channel 18. The weekly program airs on all public TV stations in Texas.