Gov. David A. Paterson found the limits of his executive authority tested Saturday as he tried unsuccessfully for a sixth straight day to force the State Senate to resolve its leadership fight. Paterson, who has been frustrated as senators have continued to ignore his orders to convene and begin passing a raft of legislation that has been put off for nearly three weeks, acknowledged that while his powers might be limited, he would make the situation as unpleasant as possible for all 62 senators. 'All I know is that we're going to keep them there and make their lives as miserable as they are making the lives of the people of the State of New York,' Paterson said at an appearance at Fort Drum, near the Canadian border, on Saturday. Senators flouted the governor's orders again on Saturday, despite his attempt to call their bluff by forcing them to act on a number of nominations to state commissions and boards. The governor had called the Senate into session and asked members to act on legislation. But senators argued that he was exceeding his constitutional authority by doing so because, they said, he was allowed to convene sessions with just the Senate only when nominations were under consideration. But even with an agenda that consisted only of nominations, senators convened on Saturday afternoon and then quickly adjourned without taking any action. They continued to hold separate consecutive sessions, the first convened by Democrats, the second by Republicans. Each lasted less than three minutes. Sen. Thomas W. Libous, the deputy Republican leader, said the nominations could not be voted on because they had not gone through the proper process. 'These nominations have not been vetted; they have not come through the committee process,' he said. The governor asked all nine nominees to travel to Albany on Saturday and to sit in the Senate gallery during the session. He also made sure all 62 senators were served with a copy of a petition his lawyers filed in the trial-level state Supreme Court on Friday seeking to order all members into session at once. Some senators arrived at their offices on Saturday morning to find copies of the petition taped to their doors. And Paterson called them back for another session on Sunday evening. Some senators said they believed Paterson was exploiting the situation for his own political gain. 'The governor doesn't want this to end,' said Sen. Ruben Daz Sr., a Bronx Democrat. 'The governor is looking good. He wants us to continue with this mockery, this circus.' He added, 'Now the focus isn't on his inability to govern; it's on us.' Paterson's approval ratings have been at historic lows for months. Yet the Senate dispute has given him an opportunity to use his bully pulpit and show resolve to a public that is skeptical of his leadership. 'This is an embarrassment,' Paterson said at Fort Drum. 'This is a mess, but it's going to get cleaned up again. You have my word on that.' The Senate leadership fight began June 8, when two Democrats, Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens, joined the Senate's 30 Republicans to vote the Democrats out of power. Monserrate later rejoined his party, leaving the Senate conferences evenly split at 31. Leaders of both parties met briefly on Saturday afternoon but had little progress to report. A new team of Democrats -- including Neil D. Breslin of Albany, Diane J. Savino of Staten Island and Thomas K. Duane of Manhattan -- held negotiations with the Republican coalition on Saturday. Sen. Malcolm A. Smith, the Democratic leader, did not attend the meeting. Espada, who had joined with Republicans and is co-leader of the coalition, said again on Saturday that he would not accept any compromise that left him in a diminished leadership role. This has been a primary source of contention in the negotiations, as some Democrats have said they refuse to accept Espada as leader. 'You want me to give up something that I've earned before I've really gotten the opportunity to exercise it? I don't think so,' Espada said as he left the Senate chamber. 