> The `pip` package is not actually bundled with your Python distribution

It is bundled, as mentioned in the link [0] you posted: "pip is an independent project with its own release cycle, and the latest available stable version is bundled with maintenance and feature releases of the CPython reference interpreter."

> the standard library has `ensurepip`

Ensurepip is for Python distributions, which are supposed to do use it automatically to provide the bundled pip. See [3]: "Ensurepip is the mechanism that Python uses to bundle pip with Python." Basically it's the installer of the bundled pip. At least that's how I understand it.

> This has been considered and still might happen, see [1]

Note that while the users there all basically say the same thing (twine should be merged into pip as "pip publish") the (two out of three) PyPA devs say it "would be a major mistake" and they are "against adding pip publish". (Before starting offtopic rants against poetry...) I somehow doubt this will improve soon.

[3] https://mail.python.org/mm3/archives/list/distutils-sig@pyth...