The Iran war is dragging on far longer than promised, and the bill is rising for American taxpayers and the economy — good news mainly for defense contractors.

• The war was sold as a two-week operation that would push oil prices down; instead it has stretched on with no clear end.
• Early critics of the war were branded liberals, traitors, and Russian shills, but the predictions of a quick win have not held up.
• The pattern looks like Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan all over again: an endless war that costs lives and money.
• Defense companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing are getting rich on war contracts, echoing Eisenhower's warning about the military-industrial complex.

Outlook: Expect the war's financial and political cost to keep climbing, with growing pushback from conservatives who now question why the U.S. got involved.