I think that's an overly narrow definition of "rewrite". In fact, I'd argue that piecemeal is the smart way to go about a rewrite, if that is at all possible. In which case the rewrite is just an aggregate of refactorings.
That "narrow" definition is the one being used by Joel, and the other authors who have weighed on in the debate. A rewrite isn't an aggregate of refactorings-- for the purposes of this debate, it is the opposite of an aggregate of refactorings.
