He's 'been through worse,' but Marion Barry's battles are taking a toll

He's 'been through worse,' but Marion Barry's battles are taking a toll "I'm feeling great," Barry told me before the vote. "I've been through worse."

And yet, State Flagshis winded and rambling defense of indefensible behavior made it painfully obvious that the war has taken a toll. At 73, Barry should be enjoying life as a wise elder, not appearing to have failed once again to State Flags turn hindsight into insight, let alone foresight.

During a recent interview, we talked about why he keeps making the same mistakes, over and over, and his penchant for morally questionable relationships with women.

"Love is very fleeting with me and I don't know why," Barry said. "Whenever I get that feeling -- I call it my emotional buy-in -- I want to hold on to it so badly. The next thing I know my judgment is clouded. I'm seeing things that aren't there and not seeing things that should be obvious. And just like that, it's gone."

The censure vote stemmed from a $15,000 "personal service" contract that he had awarded to Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, his 40-year-old on-again, off-again girlfriend. Barry claims he had lent her money as part of their personal relationship and didn't think twice when she repaid him with money from the government contract.

"This was the first time in my career that I have ever gotten romantically involved with someone on my staff -- except for first ladies Effi and Cora, who had offices down the hall from mine," he said.

You got the impression that Barry still fancied himself as the mayor -- "Emotionally, it's lonely at the top, very lonely," he said at one point -- and that he had somehow mistaken Watts-Brighthaupt for a first lady.