I know you didn't call anyone a **********, and because of that I will briefly respond. Yes Carter and later Reagan, and to a greater extent, armed the mujahideen. I don't think a direct link to the cia's efforts and bin laden was ever established, because bin laden and other Saudi's didn't need the cia. Eventually, the Taliban emerged, and they were directly tied to the mujahideen factions tied to the Saudis. And they wiped out the former elements that once were tied to us, and whom we abandoned after the soviets' fall. At least that's my understanding.
Bin Laden, The Afghan Mujahadeen, And The CIA: The Myth That Needs To Die
Back at the time, I couldn't see the logic of Carter arming them, and certainly not Reagan's arming them, selling arms to Iran, giving arms to the contras (and others) and selling cocaine in American cities. The soviets were an evil enemy, but sometimes the enemy you know is preferable to the one you don't yet know.
Have a nice day.
THe Soviets were our enemy, with tens of thousands of nuclear warheads aimed at US.
Afghanistan gave US a chance to **** them up, like they did to us in Vietnam, and to weaken them as part of their eventual collapse.
Not having thousands of soviet tanks in the middle of Germany constantly threatening the Free World is a good thing.
Giving arms to the Contras fighting Marxist in our own backyard is almost as much of a no brainer. Except for Carter and the Dems in COngress.
Selling arms to Iran was an attempt to ransom hostages. And as they were used against Saddam's forces, no harm done.
Reagan did not sell cocaine in American cities. That some of the shady people the CIA worked with were drug smugglers does not mean that the CIA was supporting their cocaine shipments to the US.
The rise of Islamic Terrorism is not our fault. This type of behavior was always going be part of the transition to a multipolar world.