That's what I thought too, until I heard Mark Levin's show last night. (You can listen to the Thursday night podcast on his web site) He was reading an article by a conservative who had done some research, reading through news accounts of the time.
Apparently, there was more pressure on Dems to cave than Republicans, because the gimme crowd was riding them. He cited accounts in the WAPO and NYT.
And this was in an era when Rush was the only conservative media.
Where we lost was in getting credit for the balanced budget. The media credited Clinton, to no one's surprise.
Anyway, we have to plant a flag somewhere. The Republican Party's 30-year-long strategy of constant retreat has gotten us where we are today. At the very least, any other approach would have to be better.