Timstuff said:

I don't know if the Obi-Wan / Anakin / Dooku duel is satisfying enough to be the movie's climax. I guess I'd have to watch the last 15 minutes or so of the movie without the Yoda duel to know whether or not I'd miss it. From a story point of view it's an unnecessary scene, but in terms of pacing, buildup and satisfaction I'm not sure how easily it can be done away with.

If you want an example of that type of edit, here's the one I did for my Twilight of the Republic edit of EP2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmBR56ciP0U

theslime said:

I've seen large portions reedited brutally and whole sections cut with only positive effects on the story. You'd be surprised what can be cut. I thought the same as you until I saw an ep3 edit with no Yoda/Palpatine duel. As bad as it was, I thought that needed to be there intercut with the Obi-Wan/Anakin duel. Not the case, as it turns out. The film even flows better without it.

That was probably from my EP3 edit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tDcM7fDJqQ