George Bush Snubs Reid, Pelosi, Hoyer At Presidential Library Ceremony

WASHINGTON -- The Democrats' congressional leaders Sen. Harry Reid and Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer were not invited by former President George W. Bush to Thursday's high-profile ceremony unveiling his presidential library, Capitol Hill sources told HuffPost.

Hoyer, the Democratic House whip who represents southern Maryland, complained privately to colleagues about the slight earlier Thursday, HuffPost was told. A second House source confirmed the lack of an invitation to Pelosi and Hoyer, and a Reid aide said that the Senate majority leader was not invited.

"I wanna welcome members of Congress here," Bush said Thursday, opening his speech in Dallas. "I thank the speaker for coming."

The snub is a reminder of the tense relationship that Bush had with Democrats as president. Reid famously called him a "liar," and Pelosi made no attempt to conceal her contempt for him. Bush, for his part, showed little interest in a relationship with congressional Democrats, preferring to marshal only Republican votes on behalf of his agenda.

"Guess there is no section in the library about the failed effort to privatize Social Security," quipped one top Democratic aide.

Along with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Bush also invited all the living former presidents and the current White House occupant, as well as a host of former top foreign leaders -- Australia's John Howard, Britain's Tony Blair, Israel's Ehud Olmert and Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, who left office in disgrace.