Bush didn't intend to insult Democrats - Snow

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) President George W Bush did not intend to insult Democrats by failing to pronounce their party's full name in his State of the Union address, spokesman Tony Snow said today.

In his speech last Wednesday, Bush declared to a joint session of the US Congress that ''I congratulate the Democrat majority.'' Some Democrats were incensed he did not say ''Democratic.'' The party's proper name is the Democratic Party.

Republicans for years have dropped the last two letters of the name as a slight to the party. Bush's prepared text of his speech had the proper pronunciation, but when he delivered it he made the mistake.

Snow said Bush meant no slight.

''I want to thank everybody for making three mountains out of a mole hill. The president, when we asked him about it, said, 'What?... I didn't mean anything by it,''' Snow said.

In his speech, Bush went out of his way to praise California Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi, the new speaker of the House of Representatives, and declared his intent to work with Democrats in the majority of the House and Senate.

REUTERS SP KP2316