I still can't figure out whether he's trying to be clever or if he knows it's sort of self-mockery.

Speaking before a church congregation in Brooklyn, Gov. David A. Paterson declared on Sunday that he was the victim of innuendo and lies and that he would finish his term to "fulfill the mission in which God placed me." ...

"I will keep governing to the end of the year, in the spirit of making the tough decisions and trying as hard as I can to fulfill the mission in which God placed me," Mr. Paterson said.

After Mr. Paterson spoke, the Rev. Lawrence E. Aker III, Cornerstone's senior pastor, invited anyone present who was "facing circumstances that are overwhelming" to go up to the altar.

The governor came forward and placed both hands on the altar, followed by more than two dozen other worshipers, some of whom laid their hands on Mr. Paterson's back as he prayed.