I had to be up early this morning to appear on Fox & Friends. I was finished by 6:30, so I decided to stop by the Occupy DC encampment at McPherson Square in downtown Washington. Conditions were miserable; 40 degrees, dark, windy, muddy, steady rain. The weather, predicted to deteriorate even more later, was enough to test the resolve of the most dedicated anti-capitalist.

The small park is filled with tents.  At times there have seemed more tents than protesters, and indeed, a friend who has kept a close eye on Occupy DC suggested to me that many of the tents — which convey the impression of a substantial, permanent protest — are actually unoccupied.  That’s hard to prove, short of barging into randomly-selected tents.  But even among the tents that are in use — and I saw a total of four early-risers in the park Saturday morning — there is the question of how many Occupy DC protesters are actually homeless people who have come to McPherson Square for shelter, a hot meal, and companionship.