And it pretty much describes the situation at City Hall, where aldermen on Wednesday voted 49-0 to approve a record $2.5-billion plan to lease Midway Airport to a private group for 99 years. The vote came just eight days after the plan was unveiled by Mayor Richard M. Daley, and just four days after most of them received copies of the plan.

Yes, I realize there’s a difference between money in and money out, bailouts vs. windfalls. But when it comes to the sheer chutzpah of acting fastfastfast on a deal with little time for review — and little time to probe whether a better deal might be available later — the federal government has nothing on the city guys.

The argument from the Daley administration is that the city is getting a terrific deal at a time of financial crisis, and that it ought to act quickly lest that bird in hand fly away.

There is substantial merit to that argument.

Start with price.