African debt relief ii

So they agreed on $40 billion dollars in debt cancellation. Bush is unmoving in his resolution NOT to give any more aid. Isn't it all just a numbers game? At what point do the 'millions and billions' become inconsequential because of how incomprehensible the amounts are? Trying to get any sort of grasp on it through the newsarticles is frustrating... They leave out more than they put in, and what is mentioned seems to be coded.