Lord Lucien
Lets all love Lain
Imma just butt in here and ask: why does everyone think Gandalf can obliterate anything made of wood? He breaks the staff of an inferior wizard in both power and authority, and suddenly he's capable of instantly disintegrating anything that opposes him? That is one helluva useful technique in that world, so...
Why didn't he obliterate the siege towers at Minas Tirith? Or the frame of Grond? Or the flesh of the Fell Beasts? Or Denethor's torch? Or Denethor? Someone honestly gonna say that squishy flesh and blood is more durable than a wizard's staff? Or is anyone gonna consider that the ability to break Saruman's staff is a gesture of superior power and authority over Saruman, and not 'things in general'?
And as for the telekinesis... he needs his staff for that. We only ever see him do it against Saruman and Theoden (no Orcs for some reason), and each time he either had to swing or jab his staff at them (if he did it in The Hobbit, I don't remember). It wasn't one prolonged action like you'd see in Star Wars or something, but very weak "punches", if you will, done one at a time. Given the incredible reaction times the HP people have, how's Gandalf's very meager TK going to incapacitate Voldemort? Or break his shield spells? Or even catch him mid-apparation? And please, someone answer... how is Gandalf going to counter anything that Voldemort (or any HP wizard) can throw at him. Stuns, jinxes, charms, curses... to say nothing of the unblockable spells, or the area-of-effect spells. Or the ones that don't require a wand.
Gandalf is a far superior character to pretty much anyone in Harry Potter. That doesn't make him a superior combatant.