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Townsend is musical hero to me as well- as much for his direct influence on me as for his influence on another of my musical heroes, Paul Weller.

I didn't fall for all the no-nukes brouha in the early 80s and thought Peace through Strength was an excellent strategy. I could never quite get my head around the lyrics to Athena (pro v. anti nuke). I felt they were pro-deployment and that Townsend may have realized that Europe was indeed safer because of the US buildup and defense. I believe history may have proved them to be correct:

Athena, I had no idea how much I'd need her
In peaceful times I'd hold her close and I'd feed her
But my heart starts palpatating when I think my guess is wrong
But I think I'll get along
She's just a girl- she's a bomb
Athena, all I ever wanted to do is please her
My life has been so settled and she's the reason
Just one word from her and my troubles are long gone
But I think I'll get along
She's just a girl- she's the bomb

I could never quite get my head around the lyrics to Athena (pro v. anti nuke).

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I believe "Athena" has nothing to do with nukes. Here is the story according to Wikipedia: "The first track, 'Athena,' is one of the few songs that was well received on It's Hard. The demo version was called 'Theresa,' named after actress Theresa Russell. It was written after Pete Townshend had met Russell and promptly fell for her, only to be rejected the next day. His frustration of her not reciprocating his love is expressed in this song, which he renamed 'Athena' as to hide who the song was really about.

Many years ago, I had actually heard a different meaning to the song, that it is about Pete's daughter Aminta (again with the name changed). BTW, saying something is "the bomb" means that it is exceptionally cool or great. I think it is British slang imported to the U.S. in the 70s.