NOVAK:   Will the new year bring a new trash can for James Carville and the Democrats to hide their heads in, or could it even bring, heaven forbid, Howard Dean to the White House?  We've got time for some quick predictions, starting with who will be the Democratic nominee. James, the Democratic Party is like a man steering his car into a horrible fatal collision, doesn't know how to stop it. Howard Dean? 
CARVILLE:   Well, I think what's going to happen is we're going to have a very interesting primary. I think it's going to get bogged down. I think the improbable is going to happen. The party's going to turn to United States Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who will be the nominee and pick New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. 
NOVAK:   The second prediction is who will the running mate be. And I say the running mate of Howard Dean will be John Edwards of South -- of North Carolina. They need a southerner on the ticket, and I don't think Wes Clark is really thought of as a southerner. 
CARVILLE:   I don't think we're going to have a New York and a New Mexico. No, I don't. I think that we'll know after Iowa. I suspect whoever runs second in Iowa will stay and challenge Governor Dean, and we'll see what happens from there. 
NOVAK:   Wait a minute. What happened to your Hillary and Bill Richardson case? 
CARVILLE:   That could happen. It's not impossible. 
NOVAK:   All right. 
CARVILLE:   That's my long shot prediction. 
NOVAK:   All right. Who will be president in November results? Get out your trashcan. George W. Bush with 53 percent of the vote. That's a landslide for Bush. 
CARVILLE:   The Democrats will win their fourth straight time of winning the presidency in 2004, from '92, '96 and 2000 and 2004. 
NOVAK:   And the Sugar Bowl for the contested national championship, the winner, Oklahoma! Boomer-Sooner, they'll have that boomer wagon running around New Orleans, all the Cajuns will be mourning. Will you be there for that serenade, James? 
CARVILLE:   Let me say hot bull, cold coosh coosh. Come on tigers, push, push, push. 
NOVAK:   And who's your prediction? 
CARVILLE:   My prediction is the Fighting Tigers of Louisiana State University, under the orchestration and direction of the greatest coach in the history of college football, Nick Sabin. All right. From the left, I'm James Carville. 
NOVAK:   From the right, I'm Robert Novak. Join us again next time for another edition of CROSSFIRE. "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS" starts right now.
