Make sure he keeps his mouth tighter in 2002. He takes the Democratic nomination, Pataki runs a very slack general election campaign, Cuomo noses it. Cuomo runs against Rudy in 2006 - and Rudy loses, again in a tight race. By this point Cuomo has beaten the two most popular Republicans in New York and people are talking up his national potential.
Blah. Can't be bothere with the rest. Somehow he emerges as a compromise candidate between Clinton and Obama in 2008, one of them eventually drops out and endorses Cuomo, it all follows from there. Something like that.