Saw this through jedi_news. And I agree with you about that odd quote on the commentary - it's always struck me as rather dissonant, too. But the commentary track for RotS seems like more a ramble to me than a cogent discussion of what's going on in the films or behind the scenes. And, let's face it, that's what most DVD commentary tracks (at least the ones I've encountered) do: they ramble around in a way that is amusing rather than analytical.

Anyway, Roland Barthes says we're free to ignore what the author was trying to do, and I believe him! Let's forge ahead with the text itself!