How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
Quote #7
RIPPER: I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love. Yes a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I was able to interpret these feelings correctly: loss of essence.
So it seems like this whole thing might've started because Ripper was having a midlife sexual crisis. He felt a loss of power after sex and totally couldn't deal with it. If he can't get "it" up, at least he can get the bombers up. Did you ever see a film of missiles rising up and getting ready to launch?
Quote #8
MANDRAKE: I don't want to talk to him, Colonel; I've got to talk to him. And I can assure you, if you don't put that gun away and stop this stupid nonsense, the court of inquiry on this'll give you such a pranging, you'll be lucky if you end up wearing the uniform of a bloody toilet attendant!
Mandrake gets his groove back when he's dealing with Col. Guano. By asserting his power over the Colonel, Mandrake actually manages to get the recall code to the president. In the end, of course, it still doesn't save the world, so ultimately Mandrake ends up as powerless as everybody else. Points for trying, though.
Quote #9
GUANO: Ok. I'm gonna get your money for you. But if you don't get the President of the United States on that phone, you know what's going to happen to you? You're going to have to answer to the Coca-Cola Company.
There's that juxtaposition again: this line is pretty funny given that the fate of every human on Earth is hanging in the balance. Still, it's never a good idea to underestimate the power of corporate America. Some would argue that corporations can have more power than the President. They'd have a point.