Finally, an effective Republican attack on Hillary

There's no sugarcoating it: The Republican National Convention is a disaster.

Any substance of the first night was overshadowed by drama about who put plagiarized lines into Melania Trump's speech. The second night was billed as dedicated to jobs and the economy, but these topics hardly got a mention until late in the evening. Mitch McConnell skewered Hillary Clinton for lying about "sniper fire," a reference to a bizarre tall tale she told about dodging bullets in Bosnia. But McConnell didn't explain the story, so it meant nothing to anyone who isn't already a dedicated Clinton hater or political junkie. Most of the elected Republicans who spoke sounded more brittle, narrow, and ideological than ever.

This is not a normal convention.

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But finally, on Tuesday, we saw something the Trump campaign hasn't really attempted in the weeks leading up to the convention: a sustained attack on Hillary Clinton, delivered by Chris Christie. The one-time GOP presidential hopeful turned Trump VP short-lister counted off Clinton's past scandals, and, as "prosecutor," asked the RNC crowd to render a verdict, inviting them to shout "guilty" in unison, which they did. It may have gotten the assembly a little too excited, as they added in their own, far more menacing, "Lock her up" chant to the liturgy prepared for them.

This move to go negative on Clinton couldn't have come soon enough. Even with all the mistakes Trump has made in his campaign, somehow Clinton has not pulled away from him. She is one of the most unpopular and least trusted nominees in American history. Her nomination, in any other election cycle, would be a gift to Republicans. And yet they've barely begun the attack until now.

Even when FBI Director James Comey gave a blistering case against Clinton's mishandling of classified information on her illicit email server, Trump's campaign let the opportunity pass. Instead, Trump spent the weekend defending his decision to fly to his golf course in Scotland, praising Saddam Hussein, and bickering about whether a six-pointed star on a meme his campaign sourced from a racist Twitter account was truly anti-Semitic.

Finally, on Tuesday, the GOP effectively attacked Hillary. Christie went after her for leading the administration to knock over Libya's government, which has resulted in ISIS gaining a foothold along the Mediterranean coast. (Somewhat inconsistently, he also attacked her for not encouraging more intervention in Syria against Bashar al-Assad.) But most importantly, Christie charged the former secretary of state with leaving a trail of violence, chaos, and disorder.

Christie also correctly identified the source of Clinton's email troubles: her own fear of being discovered and outed. "Let's face it: Hillary Clinton cared more about protecting her own secrets than she did about protecting America's secrets. Then she lied about it over and over again," he said.

The speech felt slightly rushed, and a little under-polished. And the reaction it inspired in the crowd may have obviated some of the good it did. A group of people shouting "Lock her up" about their electoral opponent does have the distinct feel of a failing Eastern European country.

But the display may have given Trump some regrets about picking the staid and starched Mike Pence as his VP over the billowing and bellowing Christie. It is easy to imagine Trump hearing Christie's speech and thinking he may have found a decent attorney general.

Unfortunately, the real case against Clinton will likely have to wait another four years. Trump's desire to suck all the oxygen out of the room means that the summer's campaign controversies, provocation, and drama will return with a vengeance very soon, perhaps even before this unconventional convention comes to a close.