This Week's Burning Questions

(March 15) -- Take a news break over the weekend? Here's AOL News' guide to what you missed -- and a look at the questions plugged-in people will be pondering this week:

Can Nancy Pelosi Save the Obama Presidency?

OK, perhaps that is a bit over-dramatic. But the stakes are clearly high for this week's expected House vote on comprehensive health care reform. Approval by Congress would give President Obama a legislative achievement that has eluded presidents for a century, while defeat would mean that he has wasted more than a year's worth of time and an untold amount of political capital only to come away with nothing. The burden largely falls on Pelosi to wrangle 216 "yes" votes among skittish Democrats, along with some expected arm-twisting by the president himself. The speaker has come through for Obama before, winning House approval of major climate change and financial reform legislation that the Senate could not pass in 2009. This will be her toughest challenge yet. The No. 3 Democrat in the House, Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, acknowledged Sunday that Pelosi does not yet have the votes, but the White House has sought to project confidence and even an air of inevitability to a vote that could take place by Saturday. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs predicted on "Fox News Sunday" that next week "you will be talking about health care reform not as a presidential proposal, but as something that will soon be the law of the land."

Will the GOP Rally Around Obama's Education Plan?

If the health care debate was any indication, it will be quite a while before Congress gets around to voting on the Obama administration's proposal to re-write the No Child Left Behind education law, a signature domestic policy achievement of President George W. Bush. The most interesting immediate reaction will come from Republicans, who might have to provide the bulk of congressional support for Obama's plan, which is to be officially announced today. The high-powered American Federation of Teachers has already panned the proposal, and many Democrats want the administration to scrap No Child Left Behind altogether. Republicans have lauded Obama's record on education, particularly his support for charter schools and merit pay. Whether they get on board early with Obama's education push may well determine whether he has a chance at a legitimately bipartisan domestic victory in his first term.

Is Obama Serious About Immigration Reform?

President Obama and his advisers have mostly paid lip service to the idea of comprehensive immigration reform during their first 14 months in office. They have vowed support, but have done little to push an issue that became the new third rail of American politics during George W. Bush's second term. But now, the issue's lone (current) Republican champion, Sen. Lindsey Graham, has laid down the gauntlet, challenging Obama to take a leadership role in advance of a major Washington immigration rally planned for Sunday. "You do the heavy lifting," Graham told Obama in an appearance on ABC's "this Week." "You put together a comprehensive immigration reform package. You bring it to the Senate and House and see how many Democrat and Republican supporters you can get. All you have done is talk about what we should do, now is the time to lead." In an already fraught election-year political climate, Obama's response will be telling.

Can U.S.-Israel Tensions Be Defused?

The strain on the historically tight bond between the U.S. and Israel reached its highest level in years in recent days, following the awkwardly timed announcement that the Jewish state would expand housing settlements in East Jerusalem. The move embarrassed Vice President Joseph Biden, who had made his first trip to the region last week hoping to nail down an agreement to resume indirect talks between Israelis and the Palestinians. Top American officials rebuked Israel, with senior White House adviser David Axelrod calling the housing announcement an "insult" on Sunday. That prompted the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, to release a rare critical statement of the current U.S. administration. With Obama unpopular in Israel, the tone over the next several days will decide whether the last week's tension is a blip on the radar or a harbinger of lingering distrust between Obama administration and one of America's closest allies.

Will NYC Voters Return a Convicted and Expelled Lawmaker to State Legislature?

The case of former New York state Senator Hiram Monserrate has not gotten national attention, but it will come Tuesday night if Monserrate wins a special election for his old seat. The Democrat was convicted of a misdemeanor domestic assault charge after he was caught on video dragging his girlfriend through an apartment lobby. (She also claimed he slashed her face with a broken glass.) The state Senate expelled Monserrate earlier this year, but he is running in the special election to replace himself. Party leaders have endorsed his opponent, Assemblyman Jose Peralta, and a recent poll put him far ahead, but the outcome of Tuesday's election in Queens is up in the air. A victory by Monserrate would surely launch another round of political soul-searching in an already beleaguered Empire State.