Van Jones, School Speech Top List of Distractions for Obama

White House's Lesson Plans Spark Controversy

The Jones controversy has been a distraction from what could be a critical week for the president on health care legislation, and it's not what the White House wants to focus on. With his poll numbers falling, the president will take the dramatic step of addressing a joint session of Congress Wednesday to turn around the debate.

"If he is perceived to fail on health care, it is going to raise significant questions about leadership, his leadership and really, when you get down to it, that's what the presidency is about," said political analyst Stuart Rothenberg of The Rothenberg Political Report.

To add to the list of message distractions this week, the president's planned speech to school children Tuesday is also taking some heat and being boycotted by some school districts and parents.

At the center of the debate is the White House's lesson plan, which suggested that students write a letter about how they could "help the president."

"Shouldn't it be a speech in prime time in our homes to all of us? With Parents? Do I need to go to my child's school and embarrass her in front of her friends and watch it with her?" said one parent, Mike Ballou of the Douglas County schools in Colorado.

President George H.W. Bush made a similar call during his presidency, asking schoolchildren to write a letter to him stating how they could help him achieve his goals.

The White House seems befuddled by the push back on the school speech. One official called the debate silly. Today, officials will release a transcript, hoping to prove that the president's speech to the nation's youngsters on the value of studying and going to school is not a political speech.

"What this pointed to is the fact there is a real distrust out in the country of this president," Politico's Allen said. "That it's not a 50-50 country. That it's not an Obama nation and that's what we saw bubbling up this summer with health care as the catalyst."

Allen added that the president will really have to hone his message on health care when he appears before Congress Wednesday.

"Over the next 60 hours, the president has to figure out, 'am I going to be a leader or a legislator, or will I say something clear and convincing or be vague and defensive?'" Allen said. "They're still working this out."

ABC News' Huma Khan contributed to this report.