It's true that McCain could have ran a much better campaign. He left a lot of potential issues unexplored or underemphasized, but being a subpar candidate doen't imply you are "anxious to lose," any more than a batter striking out means that he's dumping the game. I don't think that the choice of Palin as running mate was consistent with a "dive." Plus, McCain performed well in the last debate when he finally went on the offensive and staggered O.
You can easily compare his losing campaign to Bush Sr. in 1992 or Bob Dole in 1996 for fatal flaws.
I watched those debates. He was pathologically incapable of attacking his good buddy, the False Messiah. If there had been a Conservative Republican up on stage, he’d have not hesistated to disembowel them. I’m just very sorry he didn’t make his party switch official back in 2004. He’s already done so by his own behavior and actions.