BTW; Google "U.S. troops protecting Afghan opium poppies - images"...you'll get hundreds that look like this;

Carter didn't start any wars.

The U.S. Sent Its Most Advanced Fighter Jets to Blow Up Cheap Opium Labs. Now It's Canceling the Program

[time.com]

The main reason why we're there;

The Opium Poppy. Opium. Opioids. Heroin. 80% from Afghanistan. 20% from Mexico, China, and other sources. That's why we stay there.

The United States is grappling with one of its worst-ever drug crises.

More than nine hundred people a week die from opioid-related overdoses, and some experts say the death toll may not peak for years. Meanwhile, millions more Americans suffer from opioid addiction.

"... most of the world’s heroin comes from Afghanistan..."

[cfrd8-files.cfr.org]

You are correct. They both serve the same masters who want permanent war and continued economic inequality. With the exception of a very few on the Dem side who will never likely be allowed to lead or have real power in the Dem party.