Bush get’s blamed for the bad economy, and Obama takes credit for the great intelligence. None of this was put in place 10 years ago.
Intelligence is constantly being developed, filed, and processed. Putting the puzzle pieces together is the big prize at the end of little victories that result in information that no one has a clue about yet.
A bumper number is just a bumper number until someone attaches it to a major unit moving a certain direction at a certain time.
But, it is stored. Such intel is always being stored. In my enlisted days, I did that job.