ABC, CNN report sources say Obama will name Kerry secretary of state WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- President Obama has decided to go with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to be his next secretary of state, ABC News and CNN report based on sources. If nominated and approved by the Senate, Kerry would replace Hillary Clinton, who served in the Cabinet post through Obama's first term but has announced she wants to leave next month. U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice had been expected to be nominated to replace her but Rice got run off by congressional Republicans over statements she made about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, that Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans dead. ABC News reported Saturday that for a number of reasons, including the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Kerry's nomination wouldn't be officially announced for a few days. CNN, relying on a Democratic source who spoke to Kerry, likewise reported Saturday that the Massachusetts senator's nomination was assured and would be forthcoming soon. Kerry, who lost the 2004 presidential race to George W. Bush" class="tpstyle">George W. Bush, is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.