Two of US Republican John McCain's senior aides have left his struggling presidential bid, dealing a sharp blow to the Arizona senator and casting the future of his 2008 campaign in doubt.
The campaign announced the resignations of manager Terry Nelson and longtime chief strategist John Weaver while McCain was on the Senate floor defending President George W. Bush's strategy in Iraq.
"I believe that our military in cooperation with Iraqi security forces is making progress in a number of areas. In other areas they are not," McCain said as the Senate launched a new debate on the future of the increasingly unpopular Iraq war.
McCain, who visited Iraq last week, has been Bush's biggest Republican Senate ally on Iraq and on an immigration bill that failed last week, costing the one-time front-runner support among both moderates and core Republicans.
McCain announced last week he had raised a disappointing $11.2 million over the past three months, placing him third in the Republican money race and prompting firings and pay cuts in the McCain camp.
He also reported he had a paltry $2 million in cash on hand, prompting a flood of criticism and questions about spending and strategy within his campaign.