President Fowler Quotes in The Sum of All Fears (2002)

[over the Hot Line, after the carrier attack]

President Nemerov: [in Russian] I ordered no such attack. You must not respond to this action until we have investigated all possibilities.

President Fowler: Like you did in Chechnya? Mr. President, who is in control of your armed forces?

President Nemerov: [in Russian] You dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. You dropped the bomb on Nagasaki. Do not lecture me on Chechnya!

President Fowler: We gotta update these fire drills, Billy. I mean, if the shit ever hits the fan, I'm not going underground. This place is a goddamn tomb down there!

Bill Cabot: We've also gotta choose someone else to face off against besides the Russians all the time.

President Fowler: Really? Let's see. Who else has 27,000 nukes for us to worry about?

Bill Cabot: It's the guy with one I'm worried about.

President Fowler: And don't underestimate Zorkin, pal. Between his economy, crime, Chechnya...

Cabot: His liver.

President Fowler: What's left of it. How is he, by the way?

Cabot: He's got a press conference scheduled for this afternoon. So at least we know he can sit up.

[arriving at the airfield]

Revell: Mr. President, are you all right?

President Fowler: Jesus, Gene, how the hell do you think I am? How many casualties?

Revell: We don't know.

President Fowler: Cabot said it was Russian, how the hell did they get it in?

Revell: We don't know. Radar didn't pick it up, so it wasn't a missile.

President Fowler: Well... how is Cabot, is he all right?

Revell: I don't know!

President Fowler: [shouts] Then what do you know?

Revell: [shouts] I don't know, all right! I don't know!

President Fowler: All right, Gene, all right...

Revell: [shouts] I don't know, for Christ's sake!

[aboard the command plane]

Owens: Are you advocating we launch a first strike...

Becker: [shouts] It is not a first strike! There's already been a first strike! And a second! Don't you get it?

Owens: No! I don't get it! I don't understand why we have to nuke them, for God's sake!

[shouts]

Owens: It's not reasonable!

President Fowler: Sidney, goddamnit! They practically sank an aircraft carrier! Their missile silos are hot! We're getting nothing but bullshit from Nemerov! And let's not forget how this thing started, OK? They tried to kill *me*, remember! So don't fucking tell me to be reasonable!

[after Jack breaks onto the Hot Line]

President Fowler: Cut him off!

Revell: The system's set up so that it can't be cut off!

[shouts]

Revell: That's the whole idea!

President Fowler: Order the planes to stand down, take us to DEFCON-3... and will somebody ask Mr. Ryan if I can use the phone now?

President Fowler: We have finally learned, at far too great a cost, that if the most powerful weapons ever created are ever unleashed, they will be fired not in anger... but fear.

Revell: We've got activity on the Hot Line.

President Fowler: They had their chance.

Revell: No, no. Someone's talking *to* the Kremlin.