I completely agree Gemini. I've heaped a lot of criticism at George's choices regarding the PT, more than my fair share, but I'm likewise of the opinion that his greatest strengths are also his weaknesses, and have simultaneously driven his successes and failures. While I sympathize with his position against the studios, to some degree we do owe Star Wars ANH to 20th Century Fox and Alan Ladd Junior. Lucas was absolutely the creative genius and force behind SW, at the end of the day he had to answer to the Studio. He had to deliver daily's and he had to demonstrate a coherent, commercial movie. Also he was still under the tutelage of Coppola who pushed him to not settle in his writing. Francis was one of the few who was ever in a place to look at George and say, "No, it's not good enough" and that George would listen and go back at it. Kurtz also filled that role to a degree, but by the time ESB was complete, George was his own man and owed nobody anything. He'd won his personal ambition which was to be able to tell all the Studios to go F themselves. As terrible, ignorant, blind and myopic as the Studios can be, they do also still serve a purpose from time to time.
I think freed of the responsibility of writing and directing SW, and of having to deliver on a property ingrained in social conciousness for over 20 years (both Indy and Star Wars) the way he went about Red Tails is how he should have been making films all a long. Be the creative force behind it. Keep his eye on the big picture. I actually have some faith that Red Tails will be good, and I'm rooting for Lucas to have a success to go out on.