IAH CTLR PUTS 2 ACFT INTO POS AND HOLD ON SAME RWY; CONFUSING ACFT POSITIONING SIT; CAUSING A GAR OF A THIRD ACFT WHILE TRYING TO CLR THE SECOND ACFT IN POS FOR TKOF THAT COULD POSSIBLY CONFLICT AFTER DEP WITH CIRCLING TO LAND THIRD ACFT.

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ACFT X CLRED INTO POS AND HOLD BEHIND BEECH 1900 (ACFT Y) WHO WAS TOLD TO GO INTO POS AND HOLD 50 FT DOWN RWY 26 WITH TFC ON 5 MI FINAL (TRYING TO GET 2 ACFT OFF ASAP). TWR CLRED ACFT Y FOR 'IMMEDIATE TKOF WITH IMMEDIATE R TURN TO N.' ACFT Y ACKNOWLEDGED TKOF CLRNC AND STARTED TKOF ROLL. TWR THEN TOLD ACFT Y TO 'BE READY FOR IMMEDIATE.' ACFT Y TOLD TWR THEY WERE ALREADY ROLLING. TWR CANCELED TKOF CLRNC. WE WERE STILL HOLDING IN POS ON RWY 26. TWR TOLD ACFT Y TO CLR RWY AND SENT LNDG TFC (ACFT Z) TO CIRCLE-TO-LAND RWY 15. LNDG TFC (ACFT Z) WAS THEN ON L BASE; ABOUT MIDWAY DOWN AND PARALLELING RWY 26 FOR RWY 15. TWR CLRED US (ACFT X) FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF WITH IMMEDIATE R TURN. TKOF CLRNC REFUSED! TWR TOLD US TO HOLD IN POS AND SENT ANOTHER ACFT AROUND (MD80 I BELIEVE). I BELIEVE THAT HAD WE ACCEPTED TKOF CLRNC AND TURNED AS INSTRUCTED; THERE WAS A GREAT POTENTIAL FOR A MIDAIR COLLISION WITH CIRCLE-TO-LAND TFC (ACFT Z). AS IT WAS; THE TWR CTLR; IN HIS ZEAL TO 'GET 'EM OUT;' CAUSED A REJECTED TKOF; A CIRCLE-TO-LAND AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT; A REJECTED LNDG; AND A TKOF CLRNC REFUSAL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR BECAME CONCERNED WHEN THE TWR PUT HIS ACFT (DC9) INTO POS AND HOLD BEHIND THE ALREADY HOLDING B190. HEARING THE CONFUSION WITH THE TKOF CLRNC; THE ABORT; THE GAR ADDED TO THEIR HEIGHTENED AWARENESS. WHEN THE RPTR RECEIVED THEIR TKOF CLRNC; HE WAS AWARE THAT AN ACFT WAS CIRCLING TO LAND THAT WOULD CONFLICT WITH HIS DEP INSTRUCTIONS AND REFUSED TKOF CLRNC. THE RPTR STATED THE FLC PERCEIVED THE CTLR HAD 'LOST HIS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS' AND THEY WOULD WAIT FOR THINGS TO 'RELAX' BEFORE TRYING IT AGAIN. LATER; THE RPTR RECEIVED INFO THROUGH HIS COMPANY'S ATC REPRESENTATIVE THAT THE CTLR HAD RECEIVED ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND ANOTHER POS CERTIFICATION. ALTHOUGH THE PLTS LIKE TO SEE TFC MOVED AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE; THIS TIME THE EVENTS HAD 'GONE TOO FAR.' SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 439718: OUR FLT (ACFT Y) ABORTED DUE TO CONFUSION ON RWY 26 AT IAH. TFC WAS HVY AND WE WERE INSTRUCTED BY ATC ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT XMISSIONS TO BE READY FOR AN IMMEDIATE TKOF. WE WERE THEN CLRED FOR POS AND HOLD AND TOLD TO BE READY DUE TO TFC ON AN 8 MI FINAL (ASTRA JET ACFT Z). WE WERE ALSO INSTRUCTED TO TAXI FORWARD 50 FT DOWN THE RWY TO ALLOW A DC9 TO ALSO POS AND HOLD BEHIND US. ATC THEN CLRED US FOR TKOF INSTRUCTING AN IMMEDIATE R TURNOUT TO A HDG OF 020 DEGS AND STRESSED AGAIN HE NEEDED AN IMMEDIATE ROLL. MY FO (PF) PROCEEDED TO TAKE OFF. WHILE ROLLING; TWR SAID 'I NEED YOU ROLLING NOW.' I THEN REPLIED THAT WE WERE. HE THEN SAID 'NO NOT YET; I WANT YOU READY.' I THEN CALLED FOR AN ABORTED TKOF AND INFORMED ATC. AT THE SAME TIME; THE ASTRA JET EXECUTED A GAR. AFTER CLRING THE RWY; I ASKED ATC IF WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF. HE SAID WE WERE. EVIDENTLY; HE WAS TALKING TO THE DC9 BEHIND US. MY FO AND MYSELF DO NOT RECALL ANY DESIGNATOR USED. ATC WAS SO EAGER TO 'PUSH OUT' TFC IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS A LOT OF NEEDLESS CONFUSION. I ABORTED IN FEAR WE HAD NOT BEEN CLRED FOR TKOF; EVEN THOUGH WE HAD AS A RESULT OF THAT CONFUSION.