Barack Obama’s transformation into the funhouse-mirror leftist caricature of George Bush was completed on Thursday night, as the UK Guardian reports “the British parliament unexpectedly rejected a motion designed to pave the way to authorizing the UK’s participation in military action.”

The White House was forced to consider the unpalatable option of taking unilateral action against the regime of Bashar al-Assad after the British prime minister, David Cameron, said UK would not now take part in any military action in response to a chemical attack in the suburbs of Damascus last week. Although Britain’s support was not a prerequisite for US action, the Obama administration was left exposed without the backing of its most loyal ally, which has taken part in every major US military offensive in recent years.

For American readers confused by this strange foreign system, let me explain: unlike America, which is run by a despot who unilaterally rewrites laws and launches military action without waiting for Congressional votes, the UK has rules about the separation of powers and legislative authority. That’s why they had a robust debate about Syria, followed by a vote that foreclosed military action. In the United States, the despot could scarcely be troubled to take 90 minutes for a “conference call” with congressional leaders. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) put together a photo comparison to illustrate the difference between the American and British systems:

So much for the “Coalition of the Willing.” Barack Obama has brought American prestige to such Carteresque lows that not even our closest ally is willing to support his mad rush to war in Syria. On Friday morning, Germany announced it would not join the war effort, either.

Developments in Parliament came as an embarrassment to both Prime Minister David Cameron and the Obama Administration, which “appears to have taken British support for granted,” says the Guardian:

Hours before the vote, the chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, Diane Feinstein, expressed confidence that Britain would join any strike. Feinstein, a Democrat and staunch administration ally, told Time magazine: “I think the UK makes a difference. I think if the president were to decide to go there’s a very high likelihood that the United Kingdom would be with us.” The timing of the British vote, 272 to 285 against the government, was disastrous for Obama. Less than 30 minutes after the vote, senior intelligence officials began a conference call with key members of Congress, in an attempt to keep US lawmakers on side. Congressional leaders and the chairs and ranking members of national security committees were briefed by the most senior US intelligence officials, amid signs that some of the support for military strikes against Syria was fading.

The UK Telegraph brings us some characteristically strange comments from US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel:

Every nation has a responsibility to make their own decisions, and we respect that of any nation

The British have been very strong in condemning the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons, and that vote in the Parliament doesn’t change that. That is a very significant position for any nation to take publicly. We’ll continue to work with Britain and consult with Britain as we are with all our allies.