okay, here's some code.
I opened publisher, and pulled an oval, like you might do in Illustrator, and saved as web, which produced the following code. (actually, what's kind of funny, is the code it produces for a blank page is almost as intense).
Good luck! I'd be interested in any isight into how this works.
SD
<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml"
xmlns

="urn:schemas-microsoft-com

ffice

ffice"
xmlns:dt="uuid:C2F41010-65B3-11d1-A29F-00AA00C14882"
xmlns="
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
<link rel=File-List href="test_files/filelist.xml">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
b\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<title>Blank</title>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Times New Roman";
panose-1:2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{text-indent:0pt;
margin-left:0pt;
margin-right:0pt;
margin-top:0pt;
margin-bottom:0pt;
text-align:left;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-size:10.0pt;
color:black;}
ol
{margin-top:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.25in;}
ul
{margin-top:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.25in;}
@page
{size:8.5in 11.0in;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="3075" fill="f" fillcolor="white [7]"
strokecolor="black [0]">
<v:fill color="white [7]" color2="white [7]" on="f"/>
<v:stroke color="black [0]" color2="white [7]">
<o:left v:ext="view" color="black [0]" color2="white [7]"/>
<o:top v:ext="view" color="black [0]" color2="white [7]"/>
<o:right v:ext="view" color="black [0]" color2="white [7]"/>
<o:bottom v:ext="view" color="black [0]" color2="white [7]"/>
<o:column v:ext="view" color="black [0]" color2="white [7]"/>
</v:stroke>
<v:shadow color="#ccc [4]"/>
<v:textbox inset="2.88pt,2.88pt,2.88pt,2.88pt"/>
<o:colormenu v:ext="edit" fillcolor="blue [1]" strokecolor="black [0]"
shadowcolor="#ccc [4]"/>
</o:shapedefaults><o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1"/>
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body link="#0066FF" vlink="#6633CC" style='margin:0'>
<div style='position:absolute;width:7.9319in;height:3.234in'>
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v

val id="_x0000_s1034" style='position:absolute;left:156pt;
top:84pt;width:264pt;height:147pt;z-index:3;mso-wrap-distance-left:2.88pt;
mso-wrap-distance-top:2.88pt;mso-wrap-distance-right:2.88pt;
mso-wrap-distance-bottom:2.88pt' filled="f" fillcolor="white [7]"
strokecolor="black [0]" o:cliptowrap="t">
<v:fill color2="white [7]"/>
<v:stroke color2="white [7]">
<o:left v:ext="view" color="black [0]" color2="white [7]"/>
<o:top v:ext="view" color="black [0]" color2="white [7]"/>
<o:right v:ext="view" color="black [0]" color2="white [7]"/>
<o:bottom v:ext="view" color="black [0]" color2="white [7]"/>
<o:column v:ext="view" color="black [0]" color2="white [7]"/>
</v:stroke>
<v:shadow color="#ccc [4]"/>
<v

ath insetpenok="f"/>
<v:textbox style='mso-column-margin:2mm' inset="2.88pt,2.88pt,2.88pt,2.88pt">
<div dir=ltr>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='language:EN'> </span></p>
</div>
</v:textbox>
</v

val><![endif]--><![if !vml]><span style='position:absolute;z-index:3;
left:207px;top:111px;width:354px;height:198px'><img width=354 height=198
src="test_files/image298.gif" alt="Oval: " v:shapes="_x0000_s1034"></span><![endif]>
</div>
</body>
</html>