As per the Washington standard, at the center of McPherson Square, just four blocks from the White House, is a bronze equestrian statue of a Union general who was killed in the battle for Atlanta. On Thursday and Friday, Occupy D.C. was contained to the quadrant northwest of the statue, with a pop-up city of a couple dozen tents and propped-up tarps on one grassy strip, facing a disorganized but useful-looking canteen and information booth.

The first impression, to be honest, is that Occupy D.C. is small. Quite small, compared to the throngs in New York's Zuccotti Park, Boston’s Dewey Square or Chicago’s Grant Park, [...]