25 more victims of the War of Terror

In one week, two U.S. missile strikes in Pakistan have killed 25 people, mostly women and children, and, as far as we know, all of them entirely innocent. "Reports" say that Ayman al-Zawahiri "might" have been among the dead.

Let's say he was among the dead and the U.S. knew with absolute certainty that he was there at the precise moment the missiles were going to land (of course that's impossible, but let's assume it). How many innocent civilians is (are?) too many? Is knowingly (or deliberately "unknowingly") killing one innocent person acceptable if you can also kill a guilty person? How about five? Ten? 25? Hell, how about 100,000? And who gets the right to decide, and who gets the right to be that executioner? Is it just the U.S. government? Does the Cuban government have the right to launch a missile at the jail where Luis Posada Carriles, murderer of at least 74 people, is housed? [Incidentally, there's an excellent new video online, just six minutes long, well worth watching, on the case]

Did I hear someone say he's just an accused murderer, and retracted a confession he once gave to a New York Times reporter? That he's still awaiting trial in Venezuela, a trial which isn't going to happen if the U.S. has anything to do with it (and they do)? Funny, I don't recall Ayman al-Zawahiri ever being convicted in a U.S. court for anything either. But that didn't stop them from launching missiles and killing 25 people in an attempt to kill him.

How many is too many? Isn't "any" the answer to anyone except a terrorist?