Quite possibly Jon Stewart's finest moment

Jon Stewart has announced plans to stand down as the host of The Daily Show after 17 years, which, as he notes, is 16 and a half years longer than he has ever held down any other job.

One of his finest moments, as not just a satirist but a commentator, came 11 years ago and on a show that wasn't his own, when he appeared on CNN's Crossfire.

Unusually, Crossfire invited only Stewart on, rather than its traditional left vs right, two-pundit set-up, and he proceeded to comprehensively demolish the format.

He accused co-hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala of "partisan hackery", and implored them to "stop hurting America".

The segment, which you can watch in full below, still makes somewhat uncomfortable viewing, with the audience increasingly turning against Carlson, who himself resorts to name-calling.

Stewart's appearance certainly had an impact - the following year Crossfire was cancelled, with CNN president Jonathan Klein saying he agreed "wholeheartedly" with the Daily Show host's assessment.

Ironically, Begala last night implored Stewart to reconsider his decision.

Here's the full Crossfire clip:

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