Despite pronouncing that he would rather be "dead in a ditch" than ask the European Union to delay the Oct. 31 deadline for Britain's departure from the EU, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last weekend informed EU Council President Donald Tusk that he would in fact need additional time to win parliamentary support for his new plan.
His humiliation is the product of his own behavior, the toxic legacy of a lack of seriousness and commitment to any plan or principle. Yet Johnson can take some solace in the vote that forced his retreat: He may have sufficient support for his proposal, even if it takes longer than anticipated.
Johnson has had a singular experience in the few months he became prime minister. He has lost every major vote before Parliament. He had hoped to force the legislature's hand and back his strategy of threatening a hard, "no deal" Brexit if the EU did not revise the agreement that had been reached with his predecessor, Theresa May. Parliament revolted against the strategy and Johnson's tactics — suspending or "progroging" the body to reduce the time it could debate his policy — instead passing legislation that prevented him from pursuing "no deal."