Thailand's caretaker prime minister paid a high price for his trip to the United Nations to address the General Assembly - an institution he is not known to respect at the best of times.
But Thaksin Shinawatra was lured by the prospect of meeting US President George W. Bush at the event, and so abandoned all sense of caution.
He lost his office to a group of military officers whose actions must have been quietly approved by revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Rumours of a coup have been rife in Bangkok for over a year, punctuated by predictions that Mr Thaksin and his family would be attacked.
Mr Thaksin prided himself on his survival. Even a vehicle laden with explosives and parked near his residence, last month, didn't scare him into releasing the reins of power.
The coup came barely two months before the next election, and Mr Thaksin had promised to relinquish his power at that time. So the coup's timing suggests a strategic pre-emption more than anything else. Had Mr Thaksin been allowed to hand over power peacefully after the election, the transition would have been complete.