Edwards as Attorney General?

Liam and I have both supported Edwards, and we've been discussing what his goal might be, now that the nomination seems to have slipped away for good. As I mentioned yesterday, Edwards still seemed energized during his concession speech on Saturday night, as if he were a man on a mission. But what, I wondered, was the mission?

Liam commented, "I'm trying to figure out Edwards as well at this point. Has he gone completely Quixotic or does he have something up his sleeve?"

Well, moments after reading Liam's comment's, I came across the following at Rassmussen Reports: "Attorney General Edwards?" Lord knows I hate linking to a Robert Novak column, but I did find the rumor interesting - and somewhat plausible. When I was ruminating on possible cabinet positions for Edwards, I somehow overlooked Attorney General. This is Novak's column in full:

Illinois Democrats close to Sen. Barack Obama are quietly passing the word that John Edwards will be named attorney general in an Obama administration.

Installation at the Justice Department of multimillionaire trial lawyer Edwards would please not only the union leaders supporting him for president but organized labor in general. The unions relish the prospect of an unequivocal labor partisan as the nation's top legal officer.

In public debates, Obama and Edwards often seem to bond together in alliance against front-running Sen. Hillary Clinton. While running a poor third, Edwards could collect a substantial bag of delegates under the Democratic Party's proportional representation. Edwards then could try to turn his delegates over to Obama in the still unlikely event of a deadlocked Democratic National Convention.

UPDATE: More on this from The Washington Post's "The Trail" blog:

John Edwards for Attorney General?

That's an idea that has been gaining currency among some of his closest supporters -- U.S. trial lawyers who gathered this weekend in Puerto Rico for an annual winter conference.

"I sure would hope there will be a role for him," said Gibson Vance, a Mongtomery, Ala., trial lawyer who has been a longtime friend and supporter of Edwards. "He would be a heck of a tough attorney general. Think about it."

Vance said he is still strongly supporting Edwards's presidential bid. But if that doesn't work out, he said many trial lawyers would like to see the eventual Democratic nominee find a role for Edwards on his or her team. Given Edwards's success as a litigator, they say, the AG job would be great fit.