B757 PLT IS CONCERNED WITH VISUAL APCH APPLICATIONS BY A80 CTLRS.

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ATL APPROACH'S TO PRACTICE OF 'VOLUNTARY' FOLLOW THE PRECEDING TFC VISUAL APCHS IS ONCE AGAIN REACHING AN OBSESSIVE LEVEL. IN MARGINAL CONDITIONS DUE TO VIRGA AND SUN ANGLE; ATC WAS NEARLY DEMANDING ACFT CALL PRECEDING TFC IN SIGHT. IN OUR CASE; THEY VECTORED US ON A 90 DEG ANGLE TO FINAL AND KEPT CALLING OUT TFC FOR US TO CALL IN SIGHT SO THEY COULD GIVE US THE VISUAL. CONDITIONS WERE MARGINAL TO CALL TFC BUT OK TO CALL FIELD; WHICH WE DID. ATC WOULD NOT CLR US FOR VISUAL APCH CALLING FIELD IN SIGHT. HE THEN SARCASTICALLY SAID; 'YOU CAN'T SEE THAT ACFT 3 MI AHEAD?' AS WE PASSED THROUGH THE CTRLINE AND TOWARD PARALLEL TFC ON APCHS TO RWY 27L. WE AGAIN CALLED FIELD AND; VISIBILITY GETTING BETTER; CALLED TFC. FINALLY CLRED FOR VISUAL. KICKED OFF AUTOPLT; MANUALLY MANEUVERED ACFT BACK TO CTRLINE. WHEN ATC ASKED US ABOUT OVERSHOOTING AND WE TOLD HIM HE DIDN'T CLR US TO INTERCEPT; HE TOLD US HE THOUGHT HE HAD. IF THE WAKE TURB DOESN'T KILL US; THE OBSESSION TO CALL TFC ALMOST LED TO A MIDAIR.