Exactly. You can do well with AdSense. No one is disputing that. I've made as much as $600 in a month with a AdSense (big whoop, eh?) but I've found it takes a lot more traffic and a lot more effort to make money with AdSense than it does with affiliate programs. That's not to say I never use AdSense, on some sites and in some situations I think it's better than using affiliate links. It depends. And I do sometimes use them in conjunction with affiliate sites - My thinking is - not everyone will want to buy what I'm pushing - but they may want to click on something else. But I always try to push the affiliate link first - and use the AdSense as a "if they're not interested" option.
What you earn for 1 click in CJ can be earned in Adsense for a year. It seems more than 90% of websites love Adsense.