MARIETTA - U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-east Cobb) thinks the health care bill that passed the House on Saturday has almost no chance in the Senate because Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) has vowed to join a majority Republican filibuster against the measure.

"Unlike the House, we operate under unanimous consent," he said to members of Cobb's Madison Forum political group Monday. "So the bill will have a difficult time when it comes to the Senate. I expect there will be six to eight weeks of debate, taking it past Christmas and after the new year begins. I think over time, people will find out more about the bill than they did when it went before the House, when they printed it just before they voted, and I don't even think they printed the whole thing. And with Lieberman joining our filibuster, that brings it to 41 votes, which would make it impossible to pass." Isakson said he believes health care should be reformed, but should be approached step-by-step and not widespread, as the House bill suggests.

"We had health care bills before the new administration came in, and we actually had ours printed," Isakson said. "I believe in the private sector, and that doctors should be innovative and patients should be able to pick their doctors. But this bill is designed to tax everyone into a government-run system and away from the private sector, and that's not right."

Isakson said he believes President Barack Obama's push to get the bill passed quickly is based largely on his desire to remain in office after the 2012 election.

"Taxes for this bill would start in 2010, but the policy would not begin until 2013. So that means it wouldn't start until after the election. I think that is really a self-admission by the administration that this thing is a turkey, and that they can get by until after the next election cycle," Isakson said.

Isakson stressed the importance of the 2010 election.

"The question of 2010 is where our nation is going to go from here. This health care debate will change the America we leave for our grandchildren, so please go out and vote," Isakson said.

The senator also fielded questions about immigration and the recession.

When asked about his thoughts on reforming immigration laws, Isakson said it should all come down to the U.S.'s employment environment at the time.

"If unemployment is low, immigration should be high because those people will be needed to work jobs here in the country. That's how my family got into the country at the beginning of the 20th century, because my grandfather came over from Sweden and worked at a time when unemployment was low. But when unemployment is high, like it is now, then the number of immigrants should be low and restricted. There are 43 ways to get into the U.S. as an immigrant, and those people should come to America to do the work that Americans can't. But with Americans out of work, that doesn't exist."

Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren, who attended the luncheon, told the senator that the county police department has developed its own 287(g) report in rebuttal to the report released by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU accused the department of racial profiling and unnecessarily detaining immigrants under the program.

When Warren told the senator he would be sending him the alternate report, Isakson said, "I look forward to it.

"The administration is avoiding the subject, which tells you which way they're thinking," he said. "287(g) is about getting illegal immigrants out, and the best enforcement is good education. We need to take away their ability to hide in the shadows."

Isakson said he believes the war on terror still exists, and that there should be an investigation of the entire financial system, from the federal government to corporate employees.

"I think transparency works for everyone, and the government should be as transparent as they require us to be. Put a microscope on everyone and find out what happened and who is responsible, so this doesn't happen again," Isakson said.

Isakson offered this advice to the group of politically outspoken citizens: "In my opinion, the weight of your impact is based on these three things - persistence, knowledge, and respect. If people lose respect in you completely, they will set you aside. But if you are respectful of those around you and command respect, have the knowledge to be intelligent on what you're speaking on and the persistence to get that point across, you'll be successful," he said.