Mr Karzai appears to have succeeded in sidelining their former champion, Mohammed Fahim, his troublesome defence minister; Mr Qanuni, an abler minister, will require a top job instead.
Besides, a coup would probably lead to the withdrawal of billions of dollars in much-needed military aid.Even so, in its capacity as ringmaster, the army will have the opportunity to weaken further a troublesome prime minister.
But Mbeki was in many ways well-suited to running the government, under an increasingly detached President: he made many of the key appointments; he masterminded economic policy, and he remained a skilful negotiator and conciliator - particularly with Buthelezi, the troublesome Zulu minister for home affairs.
Taking a leaf from the Prime Minister's textbook on dealing with troublesome females, Mr Marr called the actress a "cheeky woman" before acknowledging: "I have to say, I have featured in the newspapers".
While children's ministers have been busy blowing millions on dunderhead databases, troublesome kids have been locked up and shoved in psychiatric wards in pointlessly increasing numbers.
It would give the government of the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, desperately needed legislative clout, and fresh sway over some troublesome allies.
But the present incumbent, Surin Pitsuwan, is rather different a career politician, who, as Thailand's foreign minister, tried to steer ASEAN into a more activist role in troublesome member states, such as Myanmar and Cambodia.
When MPs get into a serious row with the government, as routinely happens when they seek to question ministers about corruption, the 83-year-old emir has increasingly tended to resort simply to dissolving the troublesome body and calling elections.
Still worse, Elisabeth Guigou, the employment minister, won only 31.5% in Avignon, while the Gaullist incumbent took 49.8%, for all that city's high crime rate and troublesome suburbs.
