I really appreciate the fact that you supported your thesis by making a list of a lot of situations which you think don't fit my definition
But, as I previously wrote, I don't think that this is really the best approach to actually target my point.
No way does the definition I gave – being 'smart' – necessarily imply that Sauron had to win all of his battles and the War itself.Otherwise, it would be pretty logically impossible making any qualitative statement about Sauron's role in the events he was involved into throughout the centuries, given that he saw his plans undone most of the times.
And, as I also wrote in my previous comment, I think we could do the same exact thing by listing all the critical mistakes the Eldar made since the First Age, or, specifically, the ones the realms of the Free People committed during the War of the Ring and before (and there are many).
Or, what about the White Council, for example, and its appeasing attitude towards the return of Sauron in Mirkwood? Does this perhaps mean that the Wise can't be considered farsighted?
My point is focused primarily on the undeniable fact that, as we know very well, Sauron is the
primary actor during the War of the Ring and its previous preparation throughout the whole Third Age.
He caught quite unexpectedly all the Free People engaged in the War, forced everyone on the defensive side until the very last moment, gathered legions of the most diverse troops and coordinated them basically unto the most remote places of Middle Earth.
Therefore, the point is not really if he eventually succeeded in all his propositions, but rather the meaning itself of his whole prominent
activity (initially very silent as he lurked in the shadows to prepare his return, then very impetuous as he challenged the Free People in the ultimate war).
And the fact that the War of the Ring was the ultimate war by definition (with really not so many alternatives or plans B for each side in case of a defeat) reflects, I believe, how Sauron had constantly been building up the momentum and scheming almost every aspect of his strategy.
Sauron is undeniably the Keystone of the War of the Ring, and, at a greater extent, of all the course of events since the day Celebrimbor and the other Elven smiths regretted having unintentionally served Sauron's purposes.
Or, even better, we should wonder who really was behind (by his direct or indirect actions) the coming of the Númenóreans in Middle Earth to barrage the dominion of the Evil in the World, and behind the downfall of Númenor, the most powerful kingdom of Arda at that time, and the consequent cataclysm that shocked and changed the World itself forever...
Especially, I'm always impressed how the forging of the Rings of Power (Sauron's plan) shaped all the fortunes and misfortunes of Middle Earth until Sauron's very last moment in the Third Age.
The fact that the Rings of Power eventually remained the unaltered gravitational centre of the Second Age and all the Third Age is probably the most evident proof we have.
Basically, everything seems often to gravitate around Sauron, for the good and the evil.