You make a strong case in you CBC that Ned didn’t take advantage of the powers of his office, seeing politics through more of a personal lens, but isn’t that more a quirk of the setting? It seems like that’s how people succeed, that no one gets anywhere by their de jure authority. Stannis gets little from his legal claim, he succeeds by winning or by the respect of Davos & the northmen(& the Bank). Robb has to work the north lords. Tywin works the Tyrells, but Cersei’s authority as regent fails.