Well, Kerry could just use the same equations of acceptible risk/harm vs/ cost that automobile manufacturers and health insurance companies use to determine how many deaths they can get away with calling "acceptible".

For instance, how many people have to die before they will add a safety device that costs $5.00? Or how many people have to die before they decide that everyone in the US should have health coverage?

Dead is dead, tarheel, whether one is killed by terrorists, or by criminal negligence.