Hi Rick
Do not know if you already found a solution to the problem you posted. Yes, there is a way to tweak the operators and that can be done without code change from Quest Web Parts. You can do this with JavaScript on the client side to manipulate the DOM and remove or apply fixed operators the way you wanted. With the help of jQuery, this task may be easier.
If you would like to get more details, I would encourage you to check out the posts from a Quest Web Parts user. Dave's blog on Removing OPTIONS with jQuery illustrates the technique to be applied. Hope this helps.