We loved reading the Times coverage of Governor Paterson's State of the State speech. He's so inspirational sometimes. (And they didn't even include the jokes!) In his historic speech (the first ever where two of the infamous Albany "three men in a room" have been black), he cited Woodrow Wilson, Mario Cuomo, Edward Roland Sills, Paul Krugman, Eliot Spitzer, Saint Augustine, and even Sarah Palin. He spoke of hard times ahead, deficits, and shared sacrifice. He talked about crime, green energy, and the state's tradition of "unparalleled personal freedoms." At various points, the speech was met with sustained applause.

Of course, we still don't know what deal the three renegade Democratic state senators forged with new Majority Leader Malcolm Smith. Expect the soaring rhetoric to come crashing back down to business as usual, oh, tomorrow morning.

Paterson Warns of ‘Historic Economic Challenge’ [City Room/NYT]