Edelman vs. Consumerist: It's On

Ben Popken, author of Gawker Media's Consumerist blog, is very unhappy with Edelman D.C. blogger and RedState vet Michael Krempasky (right), who reps Wal-Mart. I'm a latecomer to the tiff and don't have a dog in this fight, but here's the chronology as best as I understand:

1. Consumerist posts several unflattering posts about Wal-Mart.
   
   
2. Krempasky invites Consumerist to drinks as part of Edelman's blogger outreach on Wal-Mart's behalf. Consumerist says Krempasky asks that discussion be off the record, then asks, "What can we do to get you to stop writing about our companies?"
   
   
3. Consumerist breaks confidential agreement (by his own admission), discusses his private conversation with Krempasky on Consumerist's No Respect! podcast.


4. Krempasky and Consumerist exchange nasty e-mails over the podcast. Consumerist posts that email thread and shares more details about his drinks with Krempasky.
   
   
5. Consumerist posts followup posting today. He doesn't think too highly of flacks: "A PR rep is not the same as a human being. Consumers are the victims, often of PR folk's disinformation campaigns."
   
   
6. Channeling Rodney King, Krempasky posts a thinly veiled "can't we all just get along?" reply on his personal blog: "Put a little energy into exercising some respect, courtesy, and perhaps a bit of professionalism."

Call them the Gerstein and Sirota of the Big Box Wars.