Decryptying Language

As an English, German, and International Studies major, working with languages is what I do. I enjoy nothing more than decoding other languages into another to communicate. When I was living in Germany an Italian friend of mine brought me this quote:
Rumsfeld, renowned for his uncompromising tough talking, received the prize for the most baffling comment by a public figure. "Reports that say something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know," Rumsfeld told a news briefing. "We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."
Whether Rumsfeld actually said this I don't know, but I found it interesting that my friend wanted me to explain it to him, and I was utterly baffled by the language.
Delpit's article focuses on the teaching of the language of power to children who do not live in that culture, and I believe her point is greatly seen in this example. The language of power can be manipulated to confuse even the best of native speakers, and it's this kind of cryptic, vagueness that poorly taught students will not understand, disallowing them to function as a member of the power society. This leads to multiple problems with politics, bureaucracy and daily living etc. This is the kind of language I want to understand to be able to explain it to others.
~Kelly Butler