B727 FLC BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS NO NEED FOR TWR CTLR TO CLR THEM TO LAND WHILE A B757 WAS JUST LIFTING OFF WHEN THEY WERE TOUCHING DOWN.

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INBOUND TO SAT FROM IAH. ARRIVING SAT WITH ATIS INFO 9 OVCST 6 MI BROKEN. CLRED AND GIVEN VECTORS FOR ILS RWY 12R AT SAT. CURRENT CONDITIONS IMC. HEARD DEPARTING FLT PIREP 'BASE AT 1300 FT WITH MULTIPLE LAYERS ON TOP.' AT 3 MI FROM TOUCHDOWN; ON ILS LOC COURSE AND GLIDEPATH; HEARD SAT TWR CLR B757 FOR TKOF RWY 12R AND TWR ADDED 'LNDG TFC B727 AT 3 MI.' TWR THEN TOLD US 'B727 CLRED TO LAND; CAUTION WAKE TURB DEPARTING B757.' AS WE BROKE OUT AT 1300 FT MSL (500 FT AGL); WE SAW THE B757 STILL IN TKOF POS ON RWY 12R. IT APPEARED THE B757 STARTED MOVING FOR 10 SECONDS. BY THE TIME WE SAW THE B757 START ITS TKOF ROLL; WE WERE AROUND 1.5 MI FROM TOUCHDOWN. IT WAS HARD TO GAUGE THE ACCELERATION RATE OF THE B757 -- IT DID NOT USE STROBES; ONLY THE POS LIGHTS AND ROTATING BEACONS WERE ON. WE KNEW AT THIS TIME SPACING WOULD BE TIGHT AND WE TOUCHED DOWN JUST AS THE B757 ESTABLISHED ITS TKOF FLARE. ON ROLLOUT; WE COMMENTED TO SAT TWR THAT THE SEPARATION WAS A LITTLE TIGHT AND HE RESPONDED IN A SOMEWHAT DEFENSIVE/CHALLENGING TONE; 'IT WAS LEGAL...DO YOU WANT MY PHONE NUMBER?' IN HINDSIGHT; I WILL NOT LET A CTLR PAINT ME INTO A CORNER AGAIN. I QUESTION THE TKOF CLRNC GIVEN TO THE B757 WITH A 500 FT CEILING WITH IMC (PIREP). I ALSO QUESTION THE NEED TO 'PUSH TIN' AT SAT AT RWY 30L. THERE WERE 3 ACFT MOVING ABOUT THE FIELD -- THE DEPARTING FLT (LONG OUT OF THE PICTURE); THE TAXIING B757; AND OURSELVES ON SHORT FINAL. IT APPEARED FROM MY SEAT SAT TWR WAS PUSHING THE LIMIT.