Stewart manages, through humor, to put his guests at ease, and then asks the most insightful, probing questions before they can recover enough to give pat answers.  We need more discussions like this, and we need them in prime time, not in a semi-secret extended interview on the internet.  The people who are relying on FOX, CNN, ABC, and NBC for their news have no clue what is really going on.  Stewart, I believe, manages to cut through a lot of the bullshit with a few sharp jokes, and get Panetta (among others) to truly open up.

http://thedailyshow.cc.com/extended-interviews/noy6ld/leon-panetta-extended-interview?xrs=synd_facebook_100914_tds_19