I think it all depends on the chosen running mate. That's why McCain lost...he had Palin.
No, McCain lost because of the well timed meltdown in the fall of 08. Palin was an issue, but not the reason he lost.
McCain was losing long before the meltdown. His pick of Palin gave him a bump. And then she opened her mouth.... and things went south from that point on, very quickly.
No he was not losing before the meltdown, late Aug, early Sept polls were close to even, the meltdown then came on and McCain never recovered. As for Palin liberals and their media tools hate conservative women, blacks and gays. Palin could have been a Harvard PhD and she would still be ripped for being a conservative. True she did not help her cause at times, but it was economics, not Palin that did McCain in.