[Morthoron]

Hmmm...it has always seemed to me a stunning inconsistency (one of hundreds) that the WitchKing was unaware of the Shire prior to Gollum's interrogation. War between the Dunedain and Angmar lasted centuries, and a contingent of Hobbitish archers even went to battle. The armies of the Angmarrim swept across Eriador on several occasions while the Shire was in existance (the Hobbits migrated from Bree under a grant of land beyond the Baranduin by King Argeleb II in TA 1601, whereas the WitchKing wasn't fully defeated until the Battle of Fornost in TA 1975 -- almost 400 years). So much for geographical knowledge in a general of the WitchKing's caliber. *Shrugs*

There seems to be a general obliviousness to the Shire among all powers concerned: Gandalf is witless of the Ring's true character for decades, Saruman only spies on the Shire because he is jealous of Gandalf, and Sauron and the WitchKing haven't the slightest clue of hobbits and the Shire. Perhaps the true power of the Shire lies in its mundanity and worthlessness (after all, Bilbo's mithril shirt is worth many times the value of the Shire). The War of the Ring was lost due to misunderstanding, underestimation and shortsightedness -- the hallmarks of poor leadership -- which is why I always counter arguments that Sauron was more powerful than Morgoth by simply pointing out Sauron's sloppy management style. Morgoth actually won his war against the Eldar and Edain, and was only countered after the fact by the lazy Valar; whereas Sauron, although he won many battles, effectively lost both major wars he took part in.