[Gwaihir the Windlord]

Morgoth may not have a direct communication with Sauron, I agree... But what Morgoth left in Saurons spirit is stronger than actual communication... Again, if Arda and all the creation show the terrible effects of Melkor, imagine the grandness of the influence that Morgoth has over his servant... as mighty as the servant can be...

Don't know about his spirit all that much, but Morgoth certainly left Sauron with a lot. Basically what I put forward.

Gwaihir, on the other hand, goes so far as to have Morgoth present in the 2nd and 3rd Ages... With this quote, we can also make the importance of Morgoth dissipated throughout Arda relative. For one, he no longer possessed control over this, and was too remote to do so even if he still were able to control it, since he was in 'the Void', outside Terra in the solar system.

Hmmm... well if that is so, and Melkor as a power has indeed lost control over the evil of the world, then perhaps you are right.

Having Melkor outside Arda, though, I would not take to mean that he could not (because of this) have any power within Arda. He remained in Ea after all.

But I stand by this statement at least.

As well as this, there is the fact that much of the power Sauron drew on -- Orcs etc, but mainly the seed of evil that Melkor had already sown in the world -- came to him from Melkor's far greater power before him. It was through Morgoth's enduring evil that Sauron rose again, and Melkor then was indeed behind his attempt on the world.

Sauron would bring Melkor back, if he could, if he was still loyal to him. If he was no longer, then he probably would not; but he was devoted to him once. Who knows? He might have eventually. If Morgoth is now forever 'houseless', then perhaps he would be subservient to Sauron.