CHAPEL HILL - Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Monday called the flap over his $400 haircuts "embarrassing" and said he didn't realize at the time the cost of the Beverly Hills stylist.

Appearing on the nationally syndicated Ed Schultz radio show, the former North Carolina senator said his staff had arranged for the two haircuts in his hotel room to save time during busy West Coast campaign swings.

"This particular thing is really embarrassing," Edwards told radio listeners and an audience of about 250 people in the Carolina Union auditorium at UNC-Chapel Hill. "No one should pay $400 for a haircut."

The haircuts created a flap when their cost showed up on his campaign report that he filed with the Federal Election Commission. He later repaid the cost from his personal funds, saying it should not have been charged to the campaign.

"I knew it was going to be expensive," he said. "I don't want to mislead. When a haircut guy comes to your hotel to cut your hair, it's not going to be cheap."

The haircut was the first question Edwards was asked by Schultz, a popular liberal radio host based in North Dakota. "So it's not like you're walking down in downtown Fargo and you see a sign: 'Haircuts $400' "? Shultz quipped.

Edwards' hour-long appearance on the Schultz show was an effort to reach Democratic activists across the country. It was also a brief trip home to Chapel Hill. He arrived late Sunday from Iowa and left immediately after the show for Washington, where he was scheduled to give a speech to the National Jewish Democratic Council.

Both in Chapel Hill and Washington, Edwards talked in more detail about how the country should respond to the genocide in Darfur.

"I think it is a huge moral issue for America," Edwards said.

Edwards said the U.S. and its allies need to consider imposing sanctions against the Sudanese government that is supporting the militias that are killing people in Darfur. He also talked about his continued opposition to the war in Iraq and promoted his plan for universal health care coverage.

Joining him for the last half of the program was his wife, Elizabeth Edwards. She said her battle with cancer has made it easier to connect with people about Edwards' health care plan.

"If it gives us another reason to talk about health care," she said, "then I consider it an advantage for the country."