actually, i think the real story behind the name of that committee is almost as funny: "It is occasionally referred to as COBRA or Cobra, with some media reporting attributing that to an acronym for 'Cabinet Office Briefing Room Alpha', on the basis that meetings are presumed to be held in 'Conference Room A' of the Cabinet Office main building in Whitehall." i guess "conference room A" doesn't sound dramatic enough for a crisis response committee.
meanwhile, here in the u.s., cobra is just about health insurance. but isn't everything these days?
