Inspired by Rich at VM /ETC, I decided to implement his solution and integrate it into my daily workflow.
To do that I configured the RDP connection as Rich indicates in his post. I then performed an extra step, and checked the “Hide window manager’s decorations” box under the performance tab. This will drop the window borders from the RDP session, and (on the surface) give the impression that it is a locally running app.
The other thing I did, was save the RDP config file from tsclient into my home folder. Then I configured a launcher with the following command:
tsclient -x /home/bfitzhugh/Documents/Launchers/vsphere.rdp
Finally, I tracked down a boxes logo and stuck the launcher on the panel.