As any good lawyer will tell you, the trick is simply to reframe the power struggle as a item of Christian faith. If a faction of cardinals is doing something the Pope doesn't like, he just needs to disarm them in a way that threatens their ability to continue their office if they don't desist.
And besides, he can always pack the College of Cardinals with hundreds of new cardinals of his own choosing, and get that body to enact all of his reforms.
We're not really talking about the same kind of reforms or political decisions.
The modern Popes don't speak ex cathedra to issue executive decrees of governance, to start investigations or mandate who
he wishes but to teach the Church on points of doctrine as part of his Magisterium. Canon law gives them all they need to govern and rule. Speaking ex cathedra is not done lightly - it's been a can of worms for many Catholics since Vatican I.
In the events/issues Larry was referring to, Benedict is not described as blocked legally or procedurally by the Curia, and it wasn't situations in which his authority opposed and he could simply demand specific resignations over (you don't sack a Cardinal because he has a different opinion on the Lefebvrist issue and he tries to convince you of his views, for instance) . He was caught between the opinions and influence/lobbying/cabals of the various people he relied on, more so as he weakened. As for those keeping him out of the loop about this or that, you need to realize this is going on before you can do something.
Sure, a Pope willing to rattle the cage and take the risks of big divisions still has all the legal means to "go medieval" on the Curia, the Orders, the clergy. It's just not how it's done anymore, they're trying to avoid big crisis and divisions.
