According to this CNN article:

U.S.: Officials unsure man on tape was Saddam



Thursday, March 20, 2003 Posted: 1:16 PM EST (1816 GMT)

U.S. officials said they are uncertain that the man, left, who appeared on Iraqi TV after U.S. airstrikes, is Saddam Hussein, right.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. experts have made no decision about whether a man shown on Iraqi television responding to U.S.-led attacks on Baghdad is Iraqi President Saddam Hussein or a body double, sources said Thursday.

It has been widely reported that the Iraqi leader has a number of look-alikes who stand in for him from time to time at public events.

But U.S. officials analyzing the tape said they've made no decision on whether the latest TV appearance was made by Hussein or a double. The taped message mentioned Thursday's date and appeared on Iraqi television after the U.S. strikes.

The White House said no one in the U.S. government has drawn any conclusions about whether the man seen addressing the Iraqi public was Saddam.

One former CIA analyst said that based on many years of analyzing imagery of Saddam, "I do not believe that was him" on the tape.



If he's dead or seriously wounded, then either a prerecorded tape or an imposter might convince enough people that he's still around so they won't turn against what's left of his government.

According to a radio report I just heard, some biometrics experts are saying they're 98% certain the image was of Saddam. However, I don't think they're certain whether the TV appearance was live or on tape. If it was taped, there's no saying for certain when it was recorded.

Oh, and the US has frozen all of Iraq's assets in US accounts, said to be $1.4 billion, to be turned over to the new government for rebuilding.