bombur, you must take into account that by that time, Morgoth had been weakened as his power was spread too thin.
For everyone, there is more on this Istari vs. Sauron in this thread:
The Powers of the Istari. I encourage you all to read it. If not anything else, read the first post of it.
Turned Tinnu is right - the wizards weren't sent for direct confrontation, as Tolkien states:
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...whereas now their emissaries were forbidden to reveal themselves in forms of majesty, or to seek to rule the wills of Men and Elves by open display of power, but coming in shapes weak and humble were bidden to advise and persuade Men and Elves to good, and to seek to unite in love and understanding all those whom Sauron, should he come again, would endeavour to dominate and corrupt.
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This is because Middle-earth had to save Middle-earth on its own. If the Istari simply went in and pounded Mordor apart, what would Middle-earth have gained? It would be likely that some other evil would take over since the men, elves, and dwarves had not learned to trust in their own strength and abilities to do what is right. The Ainur of Middle-earth weren't placed there to baby the inhabitants everytime they got in a jam.
[ October 02, 2002: Message edited by: Legalos ]