You want your compost to be getting warm which is what helps the breakdown process. You don't want it to be wet! It shouldn't be completely dry but any moisture should come from the stuff that you're composting so there's no need to add any water to it.
As long as you've got a good mixture of compostable materials in there it should do all the hard work for you. I guess closing off any incoming air would help with the warming-up but you don't need to eliminate oxygen altogether. In fact I've seen a tip that scrunched up paper in the compost gives little pockets of air when the paper breaks down so that also helps with the warming up - much like giving oxygen to a candle helps it burn that bit brighter.
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