It doesn't matter if McCain's the better candidate, as the Slick Bill Clinton once said, "It's the Economy, Stupid!"
So Obama may have lucked out and as a result, he's the next POTUS.
Even the term "better candidate" means that you explain things to the public in terms they LIKE and in terms that brings them over to your side without changing your fundamental positions. By not immediately bashing the bailout, McCain appeared to be just one of 100, in the public's eyes, no different than Obama.
His only chance was to pull a Clinton and blame the WHOLE THING on Obama, which was out of character for him, but, alas, a loser not to do so.