A bully pulpit is a public office of sufficiently high rank that it provides the holder with an opportunity to speak out and be listened to on any matter; "the American presidency is a bully pulpit". It is thought of as an executive check on legislative powers. ^* The bully pulpit can bring issues to the fore that were not initially in debate, due to the office's stature and publicity.

This term stems from President Theodore Roosevelt's reference to the White House as a "bully pulpit," meaning a terrific platform from which to persuasively advocate an agenda. Roosevelt often used the word "bully" as an adjective meaning superb/wonderful (and, indeed, "bully" in Roosevelt's time was often used to define something as "cool" or "neat"). A pulpit is the elevated platform used by a preacher.

Example: Cornell University's president, David Skorton, called for university presidents to use the "bully pulpit" to advance the humanities: http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/May06/humanities_Philly.lgk.html

Theodore Roosevelt