The national average for a gallon of regular unleaded was $2.70 on Friday, according to AAA. Two decades ago, the industrialized world would have shuddered at the image of oil tankers burning near the Persian Gulf. Oil prices would have spiked by double digits, sending prices at the gas pump soaring. Talk of inflation and recession would have been on everyone’s lips. Politicians would be railing about energy independence and the United States being captive to Saudi sheikhs. Consumers would conjure up images of gas lines. The country might descend into a funk. As of Friday, with photos of oil tankers burning after they were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz dominating front pages, oil prices are far lower than they were two months ago. Benchmark Brent crude has dropped nearly 20 percent since its April highs in the mid-$70s-per-barrel range. Brent was $62 per barrel […]