WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The conviction of Saddam Hussein by an Iraqi court over the weekend apparently did nothing to scare Democrats away from making the war the central focus of their national campaign in the final hours before Tuesday's pivotal midterm elections.

In a conference call with reporters Monday, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said he wanted to reiterate "we have an election here that's very clear about whether we can continue the course set by the president and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and the vice president in the war in Iraq, or whether we're going to have a new direction that Democrats have advocated."

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean carried the same message, telling CNN, "If you want to stay the course like the president suggests and do what we're doing, vote for the Republicans. If you want a new direction in the country, vote for the Democrats."

For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006