Soaring gas prices throughout the summer and fall were blamed for slowing the nation's economic recovery-and President Bush's reelection bid. By Election Day, the average price nationwide reached $2 for a gallon of regular, and many Americans were paying closer to $3. With long commutes and lots of kids to ferry around, drivers were forced to spend hundreds of dollars a week just to fill their tanks, putting a damper on family budgets and a budding economic expansion.