It was almost hard to believe the news was true — Marion Barry, in hot water over alleged cocaine use? Again?

It tested the mind — Why would he run such a risk? Why would he put an otherwise quiet yet steady year-long stint on the D.C. Council in jeopardy? Why threaten his ability to positively shape his own legacy, to retire from District politics more as an effective legislator than as a discredited former mayor?

Why?

That may be the wrong question for a man like Barry. He’s never been one to appeal to convention, much less have many of his actions been easily explained or justified. If anything, we should be asking ourselves, “What next?”

Will Barry fight back like he did after his 1990 arrest and 1991 conviction for smoking crack? Will he appeal to his larger-than-life persona in Ward 8 and claim that the man is out to get him — the old warrior — again? Or will he go quietly, opting instead to retire, too old and beaten to mount a public defense?

Will his constituents — the city’s poorest — finally tire of the charade? Will they demand effective governance instead of constant us-versus-them posturing? Will his fellow council-members ask him to step aside, to move along for the best of the city?

Will this be the end of Marion Barry?

If history serves as a guide, no. He’s come back from much worse, so he can probably do it again. But if we believe in a new District, a city growing out of an era of financial collapse and bureaucratic inefficiency, then the answer changes. Redemption can only come so many times, and a city can only forgive so much.

It’s been real, Mr. Barry, but this may be it.