Natsios helped manage international relief operations in the elder Bush's administration. Card, after a failed run for governor in 1982, joined Reagan's administration and stayed through Bush's. After the Democrats won the White House in 1992, Card helped organize the transition, then found a lobbying job with the American Automobile Manufacturers Association, representing the big three U.S. car companies. Mass. He took a leave of absence when the Bush family came calling again. This time, it was President Bush's son, George W., who sought him out to coordinate the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.
Card is credited with staging a seamless political coronation with no intraparty squabbling.
To light a fire under convention workers, he'd typically pop into an office and offer to help rather than nag or dispatch someone else for discipline. He thinks this is a very serious business, but he wants it to be fun. During convention planning, one group of staffers repeatedly ignored Card's instructions to keep their offices unlocked for easy access by him and others. He takes control of a situation if need be. The success of the convention raised Card's stock with Bush, as did his personal style.