I didn't think she was trying to pass herself off as a legitimate or a serious candidate. I think that she was insulted by the McCain ad, because it painted her as someone who is famous for fame's sake, and implied that she's an airhead. I think that the ad was certainly tongue in cheek, and an attempt to make a joke. But at Mr. McCain's expense.
Overall, in my estimation, the joke at Mr. McCain's expense flopped and wound up being at her own.
All that being said, I think that Mr. McCain's campaign's response plays off her ad nicely. It assumes the premise that Ms. Hilton didn't really succeed in her attempt to put down Mr. McCain, but rather merely reinforced the impression that she's a dumb blonde. But that even Ms. Hilton, the quintessential dumb blonde, turns out to have a more sensible energy plan than Mr. Obama.
sitetest
It was a brilliant tease.. first she compares McCain to a horror flick ancient zombie, then to kindly Colonel Sanders, and finally to wise Yoda. I could just see her with a twinkle in her eye. She made teasing fun of both herself and McCain, but by ignoring Obama, she made him invisible.
And the media is playing into it wonderfully, giving the spot all that free airtime. Whoever did this is not an Obama supporter, that’s for sure.