I believe that Pelosi feels confident enough about replacing Trump in 2020 that she is willing to avoid the messy business of impeachment. McConnell is also facing re-election and there is plenty of ammunition against his record to convince any “reasonable” voter of his unsuitability for office. Even just flipping a few other seats, if McConnell proves to entrenched to oust, accomplishes the same goal.

Of course, to be sure of the desired outcome much manipulation of the DNC primaries has to be accomplished to avoid the unknown factor of a Sanders candidacy, hopefully with a shoe-in establishment Dem that preserves the ongoing corruption of the Democrats that almost rises to the level of Trump’s. Such manipulation will be difficult while assuring a win considering the very real residual animosity from the party’s manipulations of the ’16 primaries. Pelosi is walking a fine line between a lot of unknown ‘what ifs”, but the least palatable in her view is impeachment.