Why didn't Saruman go to the Shire to take the Ring?

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Gordis

Does Saruman seem a clever guy here?

Humorously, this is just another example of Tolkien's 'wise' not being very wise, or perhaps merely lacking common sense. Inexplicably throughout Tolkien's mythos, those he accounts 'wise' make bad decisions, misjudge their foes, and basically display serious woodenheadedness. I'd cite several hundred examples, but I believe everyone gets the gist of what I'm saying.

Oftentimes, the simple Hobbits display more common sense than the educated elite. I suppose that is just a reflection of how things usually are in a real-world sense.