"The house that George built"

On September 22, George W Bush  delivered his final address to the  United Nations General Assembly. As he is nearing the end of his eight long years in the White House, the time when presidents and the public turn to thoughts of legacy, I could only imagine how those assembled in the great hall and future generations would evaluate the Bush years.

As luck would have it, also last week, the occurrence of an unrelated event provided a helpful insight. Last week, the New York Yankees baseball team played their final game in their 85-year-old stadium. When it was built in 1923, the now venerable stadium was a marvel. The Yankees, then an emerging power in the US "national pastime," had needed this massive structure to accommodate their growing fan base. The reason behind their power and popularity was largely the work of one man: George Herman "Babe" Ruth. His home run hitting prowess and his larger than life persona was changing the game of baseball. Once completed, therefore, it was only appropriate that the new stadium be given the name "The House that Ruth Built."