A.  I doubt that Gandalf was intefering.  He may have been watching to make sure Saruman did not simply cast a spell of some kind, beyond the natural spell of his Voice.  But Gandalf seems confident that Theoden will not succumb to the Voice alone now that Saruman's schemes have been exposed.  Nevertheless, it did take an effort on Theoden's part, perhaps because of his anger, but more likely because Saruman's Voice does have some supernatural effect.

A.  This is a moment of high "applicability," as Tolkien would put it, to the "real" world.  Particularly the phrases: "The friendship of Saruman and the power of Orthanc cannot be lightly thrown aside, whatever grievances, real or fancied, may lie behind" and "But if I am a murderer on that account, then all the house of is stained with murder; for they have fought many wars, and assailed many who defied them." 

In his letters to his sons, and in the forward to the second edition of LotR, Tolkien says that in the real world there is much evil on both sides of any war, and many deals with the devil made for political purposes, and that the Ring would undoubtedly have been used in such a war, and the hobbits ignored or enslaved.  I believe that Tolkien reacted strongly to any attempt to interpret LotR as an allegory, or as topical, because Tolkien wrote it as a stark CONTRAST to topical events, an alternative world where the good guys live by a clear moral code. 

And yet the contrasts between LotR and the events of the first half of the 20th century DO, in a backhanded way, comment on topical events -- and not favorably.  

A.  I like Saruman best when he expresses his honest opinion of Theoden:

"'Dotard! What is the house of Eorl but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek, and their brats roll on the floor among the dogs? Too long have they escaped the gibbet themselves. But the noose comes, slow in the drawing, tight and hard in the end. Hang if you will!'"

A.  For my part, I would give the award to Theoden for "what will you say of your torches in Westfold and the children that lie dead there?"  Note that Saruman does not respond to that particular charge.

A.  You picked the best example.  I would give second place honors to: "Despite the injuries that have been done to me, in which the men of Rohan, alas! have had some part, still I would save you, and deliver you from the ruin that draws nigh inevitably, if you ride upon this road which you have taken."

________________________________________

"‘I think he was a silly little man,' said Councillor Tompkins.  ‘Worthless, in fact; no use to Society at all.'

"‘Oh, I don't know,' said Atkins, who was nobody of importance, just a schoolmaster.  ‘I am not so sure: it depends on what you mean by use .'

"‘No practical or economic use,' said Tompkins.  . . .

. . .

"‘It is proving very useful indeed,' said the Second Voice.  ‘As a holiday, and a refreshment.  It is splendid for convalescence; and not only for that, for many it is the best introduction to the Mountains.  It works wonders in some cases.  I am sending more and more there.  They seldom have to come back.'"