Uday or Qussay, who will walk in his father's shadow?

Uday Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein has long been the top man in Iraq.

Experts say it's impossible to predict who will take over when he goes.

But most observers agree that Saddam Hussein's two sons, Uday and Qussay are the most likely candidates.

It's a case of heard but not seen, for the oldest son of Saddam Hussein.

The official Press in Iraq, the Babil is owned by Saddam's oldest son Uday.

And it's closely read by the average man as well as experts and Iraqi watchers, to hear what those close to Saddam, and perhaps, even the Iraqi strongman himself, has to say on various issues.

Uday is known to be a flamboyant character who does not necessarily reflect his father's views.

Reason perhaps why he is now out of favour after initially being-hand picked by Saddam to succeed him.

Uday is reportedly what most Iraqis would regard as loose canon, a dangerous man to know.

He has been known to be unpredictable and cruel. He's flamboyant.

Some have also said that he's a media freak. He has to be on the media all the time and most importantly, he's totally unreliable.

So in addition, I would say that I believe Saddam thinks that Uday would kill him if he could because there were few serious frictions between Uday and Saddam Hussein, his father.

The most serious one was in 1988 when Uday murdered Saddam Hussein's valet. His servant and body guard and food taster.

He simply clobbered him on the head and murdered him and that was the beginning of a very, very big problematic relationship between father and son.

Insiders as well as experts say it would be worth watching younger brother Qussay.

Qussay is regarded by his father and I think by practically every Iraqi except for his older brother as the heir apparent. This is evident once Saddam arranged for him to become a member of the highest body of the party.

Now the favorite to take over power, Qussay is said to be calmer, colder and ultimately more dangerous than his reckless and violent older brother.

Qussay is more or less normal.

In Saddam Hussein's family, you cannot grow up to be perfectly normal but he is as normal as you can expect him to be having been educated, brought up by Saddam Hussein.

To date, Qussay is in charge of some of the most powerful positions in the Iraqi government, including the Republican Guards.