Will this election end in a civil war?

Dave Winer asks the question.

This has been on my mind the past few days. If McCain wins, I can imagine a worst-case scenario that involves rioting and widespread violence against a government many in this country will feel is simply no longer accountable to the people it governs. If Obama wins, there could well be widespread anger and violence about the election of a man that is deeply hated and mistrusted by a large number of people- many of whom are being whipped into a frenzy by McCain and Palin as we speak.

We are setting ourselves up for a scenario where either way, a large number of people on either side are not going to be able to accept the validity of the outcome.

Civil War may sound crazy, but given that we're in the middle of a financial civil war that would have seemed crazy just a few months ago, I'd say all bets are off.

And just imagine what might happen if, God forbid, a terrorist attack or an assassination were thrown into the mix.