TheBoost said:

I know unabashed Lucas-hate is the order of the day, but is it possible that he was being tongue in cheek to his peers? He's not above a little self-deprecating humor now and then.

Exactly, other things that come to mind that Lucas is messing with the fans:

-Lucas said about a year ago, "We all know that Empire Strikes Back is the worst Star Wars film!"

-And Lucas wearing a 'Han Shoots First' T-Shirt on the set of Indy IV.

I actually think Lucas is a pretty funny guy when he doesn't take SW too seriously. He has that dry sense of humor, and many take it the wrong way because they don't know if he is joking or not.