“I argued with them about the title of the book,” Edwards said. “My publisher argued that you can’t put the word ‘constitution’ in a book title because he said no one will read it. He’s right. That’s what makes me upset.”

Edwards, who served as a Republican congressman from Oklahoma from 1977 to 1993, conceded that he’s not a huge fan of many conservative leaders, including President Bush, Rudy Giuliani, Sen. John McCain and Newt Gingrich. But, of course, he can afford to buck his party leaders now that he’s retired.

“I don’t have a great attitude,” he conceded. “Nobody tells me what to do. Am I consoling rebellion? Ha ha … well yeah.” He even had some nice things to say about that other party. “They are very nice people, even if they are Democrats. … Gosh, that’s hard to say that.” And when a cell phone ring interrupted his speech, he jokingly said, “This is the president to complain again.”

Up next: A children’s book, Edwards said. “I don’t like to be too serious,” he said, adding that he’d like to write “a book for fifth- and sixth-graders about American history and how our form of government is for rebels — like me!”