Beer styles are often named after regions, but may have more prominence elsewhere (e.g., Irish Red Ale and West Coast Red Ales [albiet, often more hoppy]), so I don't really have any issue with CDA [as long as credit for style origination is given to Walter and Noonan and/or the Canadians).
I'm not a fan of naming beer after ingredients, i.e., Watery American Lager (WAL), Malty American Lager (MAL), Hoppy Aroma Ale (HAA), Yeasty Belgian Ale. That's just goofy.
Overall, I agree with Gary G's statements with one exception:
The ABA acronym is already taken (American Brown Ale), so I'm against American Black Ale.
However, I'd be fine with American Dark Ale (ADA)--my personal preference--as it satisfies all parties involved in the regional debate and gives more latitude to beer color (i.e., as long as it is not "pale").