Sept. 11 panel portrays a chaotic US response. WASHINGTON — F-16 fighter pilots sent to circle the nation's capital on the morning of the 2001 terrorist attacks never learned that Vice President Dick Cheney had authorized them to shoot down hijacked planes — an order given after all four planes had crashed — the Sept. 11 commission disclosed yesterday in a report that portrayed a chaotic response by federal officials who were caught off guard. … [Boston Globe — Front Page]