U.S. President George W. Bush's address to the General Assembly in 2006 brought Cuba's diplomatic delegation to their feet — just before they walked out. Bush proclaimed, with reference to the ailing and aging Fidel Castro, that "in Cuba the long rule of a cruel dictator is nearing its end," prompting a Cuban delegate to throw down his translator's earpiece and walk off. "The Cuban people are ready for their freedom," Bush continued, as the rest of Cuba's diplomats departed — making it clear that they were as free as they wanted to be.