Like POTUS, Johnson has to work within the system the people of the UK have delivered him. Boris could not get a vote on his exit deal, because he is stuck with a do-nothing Parliament. Rather than leave with no deal, he has decided to gamble on an election that will clean out the House of Commons, and signal a clear mandate for an exit with a deal. It's not much of a gamble since he is very far ahead in all polls. He's willing to take the hit to his credibility for the good of his country. Sounds like a patriot to me. Granted he should have backed off the do or die position when it became clear that it wasn't going to happen. Still, he did bring the issue to the forefront, and make it immediate and real for those who have been thinking of it as a fantasy.