ASHINGTON - A decade after serving in the administration of President George Bush, Andrew Card, the former Massachusetts state legislator, has accepted a prestigious job with the former president's son, agreeing to head the efforts of Texas Governor George W. Bush at the Republican National Convention this summer.
Card, 52, served as both deputy chief of staff and transportation secretary under the elder Bush. He is the second member of the Bush White House to take an important role in the George W. Bush campaign, following the hiring of the senior Bush's defense secretary, Dick Cheney, two weeks ago.
But Card, who encouraged the governor to run for president early on, said his enthusiasm for Governor Bush was ''earned independently'' of his support for his father.
''I first met George W. Bush in 1979, and I have watched him grow as a political figure and as a leader in a number of different sectors,'' Card said in an interview yesterday. When Bush first considered a presidential bid, Card said, ''I was one of those who said I would support him whether he liked it or not.''
Card, a native of Holbrook, Mass., will take a 90-day leave of absence from his job as director of government affairs at General Motors beginning next Monday. He plans to spend most of the next three months in Philadelphia, where the Republican convention will be held from July 31 to Aug. 3, developing the ''look and feel'' of the Bush operation.
Among his chief concerns, Card said, is creating an image of ''compassionate conservatism,'' the message Bush has put forth since his campaign began more than a year ago.
''There's an awful lot of work to be done,'' he said.
Even more daunting a challenge might be helping Bush win in Card's home state, Card conceded. But he said, ''I am going to help everywhere I can.''
Announcing Card's new position, Bush said in a statement: ''Andy is a good man who will do a great job at the convention.''
Card was a state representative for eight years, and he made an unsuccessful bid for governor in 1982 before joining President Bush's administration. At the end of Bush's term, Card helped with the transition as he left office.
Two weeks ago, Cheney was hired to help select the vice presidential nominee for Governor Bush's ticket, despite concerns the candidate might appear too reliant on his father's legacy if he surrounded himself with old Bush hands.
