There's a time window for Impeachment. "Tactics" may be germane within it, but that window is short

[Tom Rinaldo]

Those who think Democrats can and should first exhaust all preliminary moves in order to build the strongest possible legal and political case against Trump before moving on to Impeachment are deluding themselves about the shelf live of impeachment if they are not keeping a careful eye on the clock. It is often said Trump is trying to run out the clock by tying up Congressional efforts at oversight of his Administration until after the 2020 elections. But there are also some among elected Democrats who want to muffle the calls for Trump's impeachment long enough so that the electoral clock runs out on that option as well. I do not claim to know whether Nancy Pelosi falls within that latter group.

The impeachment window will not remain open indefinitely while Democrats seek court help in compelling witnesses to appear before House investigative committees. Any strategy that starts with the premise that the public will be better primed for impeachment after watching a number of televised hearings, featuring several key Trump associates being forced to spill the dirt under penalty of perjury, goes bust if those witnesses are not forced to appear in a timely enough manner. The exact same holds true regarding the findings of other ongoing investigations into Trump's behavior taking place on a number of State and Federal fronts. These too could strengthen the case for Trump's impeachment, but that point would become moot once the 2020 presidential campaign is in full swing.

Someone more adept at actual political science and with more familiarity with the Congressional schedule than me can probably nail down the literal impeachment window more precisely, but I figure it closes sometime this Fall if it has not been triggered by then. Impeachment is a formal constitutional process outlined as a remedy when a presidency becomes toxic to our democracy and/or security. It was not foreseen as a partisan political weapon. It will not be deployed during the heat of the most high profile and partisan part of America's political cycle. If impeachment is not already underway months before the first primary votes are cast the book will close on that option.

Some Democrats want the book to closed on the impeachment option, others may be gaming out how many weeks or month we have left to allow the plot thicken before we formally "go there." Those Democrats who believe that impeaching Trump is unwise have sincere reasons for that viewpoint. But I suspect there's some shadow boxing going on. Some who claim to be undecided on impeachment probably are waiting for the optimal time to call for it. Some who claim to be undecided on impeachment probably are waiting on enough calendar pages to turn over so that they can say "it is too close to the election now to proceed" Others are quite literally undecided, but the clock is ticking for all of us.