Former governor John Sununu harshly criticized Gov. John Lynch on Friday, reportedly calling the popular incumbent "the worst governor the state of New Hampshire has ever had."

According to Foster's, Sununu also told the Seacoast Federated Republican Women in a speech that Lynch has "no backbone," that he leads with "platitudes and smiles," and that he may not be "smart enough" to solve the state's educational funding and budget woes. Sununu joked that he was being a "little subtle."

As the criticism ricocheted across the state, some Republicans said they were glad to see someone criticizing Lynch, 70 percent approval rating or not. Others shied away from commenting on Sununu's remarks.

Months ago, the women's group president, Leann Moccia, invited Sununu to come speak and analyze the forthcoming election results. The elections turned out to be a Democratic rout in which Lynch easily claimed re-election and Sununu's son, Sen. John Sununu, lost his seat to Jeanne Shaheen.

At the meeting Friday, Sununu stood up and said he would "deviate" from that assignment, Moccia said, proceeding to rip into Lynch, decry the state's current deficit and rap the Republican Party nationally.

Though she didn't have many harsh words of her own for Lynch, whom she called "moderate enough" to attract some Republicans, Moccia said she worries about the ongoing education funding battles and about the state's $250 million budget shortfall.

"What I don't think people realize is that our Legislature is far more to the left than Gov. Lynch is," Moccia said. "I do think in some ways it has opened a dialogue for what's going on and what the Republicans need to do."

Republican Party Chairman Fergus Cullen declined to say whether he thinks Lynch is the "worst governor" in state history, but he did say he was glad that someone was making a tough case against Lynch.

"There has been a hunger for someone to be an effective counterweight against him. There's been some frustration that our candidates for governor have not been able to carry that message effectively the last two cycles," Cullen said.

Cullen described Sununu's "broader point" this way: "You don't get a 70 percent approval rating by doing anything hard, by making any tough decisions - I agree with him on that, that John Lynch has skated through by avoiding tough decisions."

The brouhaha puts the spotlight on two governors who could not be more different. Allies paint Sununu as a brusque, decisive leader who presided over big changes, while detractors describe him as a supercilious bully. Fans call Lynch a respectful, nonideological consensus-builder who maintains good relations with many factions; foes paint him as indecisive and criticize him for refusing to take stances on measures such as the seatbelt bill.

Asked to respond to the Sununu attack yesterday, Lynch's spokesman said the governor is focused on bringing people together to deal with the current economic downturn. "As you know, we're facing an unprecedented economic situation in this country, and now is not the time for partisan attacks, because it's really not going to accomplish anything," said Lynch spokesman Colin Manning.

A woman who answered the phone at Sununu's vacation home yesterday said he was out of the country and would be back next week.

One man who knows and likes both governors is Ned Helms, who was commissioner of Health and Human Services in 1983, when Sununu became governor. When running for office, Sununu had made Helms a campaign issue, saying that Helms and another appointee of his rival "weren't fit to run lemonade stands."

The first time Sununu came to Helms's office, the conversation went like this: "I said, 'Would you like some coffee?' And he said, 'How about some lemonade.' " Helms said. "And we both chuckled about it."

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