How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
Quote #1
KONG: Heck, I reckon you wouldn't even be human beings if you didn't have some pretty strong personal feelings about nuclear combat. But I want you to remember one thing, the folks back home is a countin' on ya, and by golly we ain't about to let 'em down.
Notice how patriotism is Kong's main justification for going through with dropping the bomb. He'll do anything for his country, even if it means killing tens of millions of its supposed enemies. Is Kong justified in what he does, considering he thinks a nuclear war has already started?
Quote #2
TURGIDSON: Mr. President, we are rapidly approaching a moment of truth both for ourselves as human beings and for the life of our nation. Now, the truth is not always a pleasant thing, but it is necessary now to make a choice, to choose between two admittedly regrettable, but nevertheless, distinguishable post-war environments: one where you got twenty million people killed, and the other where you got a hundred and fifty million people killed.
Turgidson's argument is based on the idea that it's better for a bunch of Russians to be dead than a bunch of Americans to be dead. Is loyalty to one's country always the most important consideration? And why do you think that patriotism is so often associated with war? It seems easier to see a brave soldier as a patriot than, say, someone who's working on a project to improve the quality of education for the poor in Appalachia.
Quote #3
MUFFLEY: That was not an act of national policy and there are still alternatives left open to us.
To Muffley, the most patriotic thing to do is to preserve the character of America as a country that's committed to trying diplomacy before going to war. Some people wouldn't see that as patriotism; they'd call it cowardice.