Would any Captain want that much responsibility (by pressing said button) on his/her shoulders?
Geez thats a sign of the times isn't it?? It's an aircraft, the responsibility is already on the Captains shoulders....he/she just wants control so they can meet said responsibilities. I have flown with people who get lost in the automation while descending below 5000ft, any pilot worth their salt recognises it, disconnects everything and flys the bloody thing.
(None of this is in reference to the German crew, just to the above quote)