Wed. Speech 'Do or Die' for Obama

President Obama is expected to answer many of the big questions about his health care reform plan when he addresses a joint session of Congress Wednesday night.

After an August filled with tense town hall meetings, Obama's poll numbers are down, along with opinion on his handling of health care. He's hoping to turn things around Wednesday night, but the question remains, will it work?

The White House is promising a bold and specific speech aimed at easing concerns. Tuesday, Democratic Congressional leaders met with President Obama at the White House, saying they're re-energized to pass health care.

"We think we're up to 90 percent of what's agreed upon," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said. "We have 10 percent to work on and we can do that."

The biggest rift may come from within the Democratic party -- conservatives troubled by cost and against the so-called public option, and liberals who call the public option a must.

"How President Obama brings those two diametrically opposed groups together is a huge challenge," political analyst and University of Minnesota Prof. Larry Jacobs said. "One that he will be lucky to pull off."

Jacobs says this is do-or-die for the president. He still has 14 months until the mid-term elections, unlike Bill Clinton, whose health care effort failed just before huge Republican gains in 1994.

"Barack Obama has to re-assure Americans health reform will work for them and not against them," Jacobs said.