Deployment Office 2003 & Office 2003 SP/Hotfixes

Hello,

I'm currently trying to evaluate the best way to deploy Office 2003.
Previously I used an Administrative Installation Point (AIP) and GPO to
push Office to the clients. We don't have SMS available.

I've been browsing the immense online resources microsoft provides and
this is what I have discovered:

Office can be deployed in two ways:
- Local installation source
Cannot be deployed via GPO
Initial depoyment still needs all SP/Patches applied.
- Administrative installation points
Can be deployed via GPO
Initial deployment can contain all SP/Patches

Office SP1 deployment is then as follows:
- Local installation source
User must execute Patch/SP File
- Administrative installation points
Admin applies patch to the AIP, then
'redeploys' the app using GPO.

I would like to go LIS but it seems to require much more user
intervention and seems to be much less flexible than AIP/GPO.

Is there really no way to deploy LIS automated and staged to
groups of users without having them to click on a batch file?
I suppose LIS can also be deployed via GPO by using .ZAP files,
which would be an good enough alternative, since the users will
use the 'Add/Remove Programs' and won't be able to see any
commands im using in a batch file.

But then deploying SP1 also seems to be a greater hassle with
LIS compared to AIP/GPO.
With AIP I centrally apply the patch and distribute it to clients.
With LIS I will again have to run a script on the client.

Maybe there are automatic ways of running those LIS batch files at a
client, e.g. logon scripts. But I remember to have read that if I
deploy Office2003 or SP1 using logon scripts the software will get
reinstalled at every logon, which isn't an option.

Am I missing something essential?
I'd really appreciate some advice.
thanks.