Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie, renowned British mystery author, anchors President Bartlet's analogy during a national emergency. He compares the shutdown of major airports and closure of the Church of the Nativity to a point one-third into her novel, where characters stall—nobody going anywhere, the bridge washed out. This reference captures the administration's trapped momentum, blending literary wit with crisis tension and revealing Bartlet's habit of drawing on culture to process chaos.