Blake Hounshell : Critics focused on Clinton 's fiery comments at hearing , not more pressing issue . He says focus should be danger of U.S. getting drawn into fighting extremists in N. Africa . He says it 's not clear what threat al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb poses to U.S. Hounshell : ( CNN ) -- The group has been linked with attacks against Western targets and is considered a terrorist organization by many countries including France and Germany.
Blake Hounshell : Critics focused on Clinton 's fiery comments at hearing , not more pressing issue . He says focus should be danger of U.S. getting drawn into fighting extremists in N. Africa . He says it 's not clear what threat al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb poses to U.S. Hounshell : The group has been linked with attacks against Western targets and is considered a terrorist organization by many countries including France and Germany.