N.Y. Delegation Cheers as Paterson Takes National Stage

DENVER — Governor Paterson drew boisterous applause from the New York faithful as he made his debut here on the national stage, reciting his compelling life story, extolling Senator Obama as a champion of disabled Americans, and attacking Senator McCain.

The governor spoke shortly before 6 p.m. Eastern time to a convention hall that was mostly empty of delegates, but a New York contingent of several hundred party officials and activists greeted Mr. Paterson with an extended standing ovation and chants of, "David, David."

"Thank you. My time is up," the governor joked as he tried to quiet the delegation, cognizant of the brief time — less than five minutes — he had been allotted on stage.

His speech contained a mix of personal biography and criticism of the Bush administration and Mr. McCain, driving the message and themes that the Democrats have crafted for the four-day convention.

Reciting the story of his blindness — one that has become familiar to many New Yorkers in the past few months — Mr. Paterson attributed his life success to a combination of pluck and luck. "Whatever achievements I have made, I am always aware of how lucky I am," he said. "There were people I knew who were smarter than me. There were those who worked harder and perhaps were more dedicated. But for the lack of opportunities, one of them would be standing here talking to you this evening."

Mr. Paterson said his accomplishments were also a result of "the overall promise that this nation has made that if a person works hard enough he can make the most of their God-given talents."

Pointing to high unemployment statistics for disabled Americans, he said the policies of the Bush administration had threatened the kinds of opportunities that allowed him to flourish.

"So the question in this race is, which of the candidates will make the change that will restore the promise of America? Well, let's see, is it John McCain?" he asked, waiting as the New York delegation responded with a loud, "No." "I'm shocked," Mr. Paterson replied, characterizing Mr. McCain as an extension of the Bush policies. "So if he's the answer, the question must be ridiculous."

Mr. Paterson praised Mr. Obama as a man of "honesty" and "integrity." He did not mention the candidate he had supported in the primary, Senator Clinton.

As is his style, the governor appeared to have memorized his speech, although, curiously, convention officials continued running the teleprompter, which Mr. Paterson could not see. He made one slipup toward the end of his remarks, inserting Mr. Obama's name into a line intended to criticize Mr. McCain. "Barack Obama will bring us the same broken promises for four more years," he said before correcting himself.